Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has opened up on how Son Heung-min could have left Tottenham had he not been allowed by the club to play for his country.
The South Korean international played in Asian Games in 2018 after being allowed to leave by Spurs, who had to agree to release the forward as the tournament is not part of Fifa’s official footballing calendar.
Son was subsequently given exemption from the country’s mandatory 21-month military service – along with the rest of his international team-mates – after helping South Korea win gold at the games in Indonesia.
But Pochettino has lifted the lid on the decision to allow Son to play in the Games and the Asian Cup last season, with Spurs reluctant to let him go after he had signed a new long-term contract and missed some of the season through injury.
However, the former Spurs boss has said that he felt it was the right decision to allow Son to play for his country, with Pochettino hinting that he could have left north London if he had not been allowed to go.
“With Harry Kane injured, Son [Heung-min] not playing the first few months because of the Asian Games, no one talks about that,” Pochettino told the High Performance Podcast.
“Today, Sonny is at Tottenham because we allowed him to go and play two competitions that weren't compulsory, not being selfish and saying, 'No, Sonny needs to stay here'.
“Because of the club. If not, two years and you need to stop the contract with Son.
“No one says anything about that. It was our decision to provide him the time to go.”
Pochettino was sacked by Spurs in November following a poor start to the campaign, with Tottenham struggling to replicate the form that had taken them to the Champions League final in Madrid last June, where they lost out to Liverpool.
