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Tottenham confirm Son Heung-min will undergo surgery for a broken eye socket he sustained in the 2-1 win over Marseille, with forward missing the Liverpool game… but there is optimism he will return in time to play at the World Cup with South Korea
Heung-min Son will undergo surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone, raising concerns about his World Cup dream.
As MailOnline exclusively revealed, the attacker underwent tests for fear he had broken a cheekbone on the left side of his face during the brutal air challenge with Chancel Mbemba in Tuesday’s Champions League win in Marseille.
And on Wednesday night, Spurs confirmed that Son will require surgery to repair the damage caused by the sickening collision.
Son Heung-min (center) left the playing field after a head injury against Marseille
Tottenham confirmed the South Korean needs surgery for a fracture around his left eye
“After surgery, Son will begin rehabilitation with our medical staff and we will inform supporters in due course,” the Spurs statement said.
The news has left Son waiting to find out if he can play with South Korea in the World Cup, although there are great hopes that the attacker will be available for Qatar, provided his recovery goes according to plan.
Son will have surgery before the end of the week, meaning he will most likely miss Sunday’s game against Liverpool.
But when he’s available for selection next time will depend on how he recovers from the surgery.
Antonio Conte (pictured) will wait nervously for the availability of his star striker
Conte watched from the stands as Spurs scored a last minute winner to qualify for the CL last 16
Indeed, sources do not rule out the possibility that Son could get a protective mask to be available for Qatar’s last Premier League game – against Leeds on November 12.
The prospect of losing Son to the Liverpool and Leeds games will be a blow to Tottenham boss Antonio Conte, whose frontline has already been ravaged by injury.
Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski are currently unavailable meaning Harry Kane and Lucas Moura will be Tottenham’s only fit forwards if Son is unable to play this weekend.
In addition to determining the extent of the damage to his cheekbone, Son also suffered a concussion on Wednesday.
The first indications were that Son had not suffered a concussion, but if he suffered a head injury, he will be required to be out of action for six days.
Harry Kane (left) assisted Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (right) on Tuesday for Spurs injury time winner
Richarlison (left) and Cristian Romero also have doubts about playing Sunday’s game against Liverpool
Meanwhile, key defender Cristian Romero is suffering from a muscle strain that is expected to sideline him until the World Cup.
Conte’s players were off on Wednesday and have another day off today as a reward for their 2-1 win in Marseille, securing their place in the Champions League of the last 16.
After the defeat to Sporting in Lisbon, the Spurs manager had his players report for 11am training, despite returning from Portugal just hours earlier.
But Conte showed his softer after returning from France in the early hours of Wednesday morning by giving them two consecutive days off before Sunday’s game against Liverpool.