Danny Rose and Dele Alli have heaped praise on their Tottenham teammate Son Heung-Min following his display in Sunday’s win at Bournemouth.
Spurs came from a goal down to win 4-1 at the Vitality Stadium, with Alli and Serge Aurier scoring either side of a Son double – the South Korean has now scored seven goals in his last four appearances in all competitions.
The victory was somewhat marred by Harry Kane’s ankle injury. Tottenham’s top scorer limped off midway through the first half and is yet to undergo a scan because of swelling.
But Mauricio Pochettino will have been delighted to see his side move up to third in the Premier League without their top scorer, which is testament to Son’s goalscoring contribution.
“Sonny is an unbelievable player and it’s a joy to play in this team with so many quality players,” Alli told the club’s official website. “It’s nice to see him scoring and he plays such a huge part in the team.”
Danny Rose added: “Sonny is very underrated. Goals aside, people don’t get to see his attitude on a day-to-day basis. He’s always bubbly whether or not he plays and he deserves all the plaudits.
“He’s now closing in on 20 goals again in all competitions and that’s something to be delighted with – we’re all delighted for him and long may it continue.”
Spurs travel to Swansea in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday. Erik Lamela, who replaced Kane on Sunday, is likely to start in a number 10 role behind Son.
In fact, Son is almost certain to feature in more than one game as a centre-forward depending on the seriousness of Kane’s ankle problem.
Thankfully, the 25-year-old is in superb form – hopefully that means Tottenham won’t miss Kane too much.
Sonny is most effective cutting in from the flanks, notably the left. He is not a centre forward like Kane is and I hope Poch doesn’t play him as one in Harry’s absence. Lamela, with his work rate and link up play, should start as a direct swap for Harry. Sonny and Dele can interchange with him during the game to confuse the opposition. Alternatively we could go 4-3-3 with Wanyama (or Dier), Eriksen and Dembele in midfield and Lamela, Alli and Son in attack (Moura as sub if required) – much as Chelsea does/did with Willian, Hazard and Pedro. Please just don’t play Lloriente.