Son Heung-Min’s hamstring injury isn’t as bad as feared

When Son Heung-Min pulled up holding his hamstring in the first half of Sunday’s North London Derby loss to Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur fans’ hearts immediately went into their throats. Sonny limped off the pitch under his own power but was unable to continue and was replaced in the lineup by Erik Lamela.

Since then we’ve been waiting for an update on Sonny’s status and how long he might miss. According to Football.London’s Alasdair Gold, there’s good news — Sonny’s hamstring injury isn’t as bad as initially feared, and he could be set for a return against Newcastle United on April 4.

Tottenham have two matches upcoming: Thursday’s second Europa League leg at Dinamo Zagreb, and this weekend’s trip to Aston Villa. Afterwards, the Premier League takes a one week pause for the international break. Gold posits that there’s even a chance that Sonny could be ready in time for the Villa match, but that it’s more likely he’ll be given a chance to rest and recuperate through the internationals.

Ironically, Sonny was named to South Korea’s international squad just after the Arsenal match, but it seems extremely unlikely that he’d report, unless of course he’s deemed fit to play at Villa.

It’s unreservedly good news that the injury isn’t more severe, but tweaking his hamstring does illustrate just how many miles Son has put on his tires this season. The smart play would be to give him a three week breather and let him actually recharge his batteries. He’s so important to the way Spurs play that to not do so might risk further injury down the road.