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Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea forward Son Heung-min could reportedly miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup set to start later this month.
Son took a knock to the face after clashing with Chancel Mbemba during Tottenham's UEFA Champions League encounter against Olympique Marseille on (November 1). He seemed to be in quite some pain and looked a little dazed while walking off the pitch after being substituted in the 29th minute.
Spurs have now revealed in a statement that the superstar forward suffered a fracture near his left eye. The club added that Son will need to undergo surgery and rehabilitation to recover from the injury. Tottenham's statement read (as quoted by the Mirror):
“We can confirm that Heung-Min Son will undergo surgery to stabilise a fracture around his left eye. The South Korea international suffered the injury during the first half of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League victory at Olympique Marseille.
“Following surgery, Son will commence rehabilitation with our medical staff and we shall update supporters further in due course.”
Undergoing surgery and rehab could put Son out of action for quite some time. This in turn puts his participation in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in serious jeopardy.
Son hasn't been in the best of form, scoring just five times in 19 appearances across all competitions for Tottenham this term. However, the winger is inarguably South Korea's best player, having scored 35 goals and laid out 17 assists in 105 matches for his national team.
The Korean team will kick off their FIFA World Cup campaign against Uruguay on November 24. They will then take on Ghana on November 28 and Portugal on December 2.
Tottenham's Son Heung-min the latest big name in danger of missing the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The packed schedule of the 2022-23 season due to the FIFA World Cup being held midway through the campaign has already impacted several teams. Many clubs across Europe have lost key players to injury, with those individuals also set to miss the showpiece event in Qatar.
Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min could become the latest potential addition to that list, which has many names from the Premier League itself.
Liverpool's Diogo Jota and Manchester City's Kyle Walker, as well as the Chelsea duo of Reece James and N'Golo Kante, are just some of the most prominent names. Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Pedro Neto and Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak will also be absent from this month's FIFA World Cup.
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo and AC Milan playmaker Alexis Saelemakers, among others, will watch their national teams from the sidelines as well.
