TalkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino has claimed Son Heung-Min has “found an extra yard of pace” during his extraordinary recent spell for Tottenham.
The attacker continued his golden run by scoring the third of Spurs’ goals as they got back to winning ways with a 3-0 Premier League triumph against Cardiff City on Tuesday night.
But former striker Cascarino pointed out that others will have to step up to the plate when the South Korea international is on international duty later this month.
“Son Heung-min will be a huge loss to Tottenham when he goes to the Asia Cup after their game against Manchester United on January 13,” Cascarino told the Times.
“The South Korea forward is in the form of his life — with eight goals and three assists in his past nine games — and appears to have found an extra yard of pace which has made him a nightmare to play against.
“He has become very clinical and is a great pro; always looking happy and having a spring in his step, even when Mauricio Pochettino has started him on the bench. The pressure will be on Lucas Moura and Érik Lamela to match his displays.”
OPINION
Son is something of a turn-of-year specialist and for the second consecutive season has been one of the league’s outstanding players when jingle bells have rung out and the matches have come thick and fast. The 26-year-old’s season didn’t really get going until the end of November, since when he has scored all eight of his league goals this season and supplied five of his six assists in the competition, too. Son has thrived playing in a more central role as part of a two-pronged attack with Harry Kane, who has been used as both scorer and provider in a slighter deeper position for much of the campaign. This allows Spurs to utilise Son’s pace and directness in the final third. He has always been a scorer of great goals, but looks to have reached the stage in his career where he can blossom into a great goalscorer, too. In 165 Spurs matches, he has now scored 58 goals, a stat many orthodox number nines would be proud of.