Son Heung-Min says he’s going to Qatar in Instagram post

Son Heung-Min has broken his silence for the first time since his injury, and it’s good news. The Tottenham Hotspur forward broke the orbital bone around his eye in a collision with Marseille defender Chancel Mbembe during Spurs’ Champions League group stage win last week, an injury that resulted in surgery and endangered his ability to feature in the World Cup for his native South Korea.

But the surgery, which took place on Monday, went very well with Spurs suggesting that he might be able to compete in Qatar when the competition kicks off on November 20. This morning, Son posted on his official Instagram account thanking his fans for their support since his injury and confirming that he will be a part of South Korea’s World Cup squad.

It’s very good news. Sonny will almost certainly be playing in a mask specially designed to protect his (beautiful) face from further injury. (I hope it looks like Batman.) We also don’t know yet at what level Son will be able to participate. South Korea’s first match is against Rodrigo Bentancur’s Uruguay on November 24. With luck he’ll be able to start, but it’s also possible that he could be relegated to a support role, at least initially. It will probably depend on the rate of his recovery and how comfortable he feels playing.

Korea is in a tough group, placed with Uruguay, Ghana and Portugal. They’re considered underdogs to escape to the knockout rounds, so there’s a chance that Sonny could be returning to London earlyish. That’d be sad for him, but good for Spurs as it would mean he’d get a bit of a rest before the Premier League starts up again on Boxing Day.