OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur were given a major scare yesterday when it emerged that star man Dele Alli was to leave the England camp due to injury.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder had suffered a minor muscle strain and was to return to Tottenham for treatment as England prepare to face Switzerland in a friendly on Tuesday.
Luckily, as reported by Sky Sports, Alli is expected to be fit enough to face Liverpool in a key Premier League clash this Saturday for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
However, instead of rushing Alli back into action and risking a recurrence of the injury, Pochettino should use this as a perfect opportunity to reintroduce Son Heung-min into the Tottenham starting XI.
The South Korea international has just returned from winning the gold medal in the Asian Games, in the process earning an exemption from military service, and will on cloud nine in the wake of that success.
Spurs have not missed Son in his absence due to the electric form of August’s Premier League Player of the Month, Lucas Moura, but his return will be extremely welcome for the club.
While the 26-year-old will need a rest at some point after an action-packed summer which saw him play in two major international tournaments, Tottenham must try and capitalise on his form and confidence against the Reds.
Playing Son and Moura behind Harry Kane will give Tottenham some serious pace in attack, and they will be able to fight fire with fire as Liverpool look to unleash their own speed machines at Wembley.
Son will be on such a high after his Asian Games success and that confidence will inevitably breed form, and so there is no reason to risk Alli on Saturday.