Son Heung-Min says he’s been playing with an ankle injury

Son Heung-Min has reportedly been playing with an ankle injury for the past month, which could explain his recent drop in form.

The South Korean forward got off to a blistering start this season, winning the Premier League player of the month for September after nabbing five goals and two assists in his first six appearances.

But since setting up Dele Alli for Spurs’ second goal in the win over Man City, he has gone six games without a goal or assist. Not coincidentally, Tottenham have failed to win any of those games and have scored just three times.

While away on international duty, Son spoke with Reuters about his recent slump.

“It’s true that I’ve struggled after winning the award because of an ankle injury ... But it’s not just me; the whole team is having a difficult time.”

This isn’t a completely unsurprising development. After the loss to Bayer Leverkusen, Sonny hinted that the squad was struggling for fitness as fixtures began to mount, telling reporters, “It’s very difficult. We want to try to play every game well, it’s true, but we are not machines.”

Tottenham are coming off a stretch of six games in just 22 days. We all know Pochettino’s system asks a lot of his players physically. Last year, the Europa League gave him the option to field at least somewhat rotated sides, but with Champions League football that option is now gone.

Between injuries to Kane, Lamela and Alli, Moussa Sissoko’s three-game ban (and general crapness) and Vincent Janssen’s struggles in front of goal, resting Son was always going to be difficult.

The international break won’t provide the team with much respite — more than a dozen first-team players are set to play for their national sides at least once this week.

Spurs return to action with an important match, facing West Ham at White Hart Lane on Saturday, November 19.