Tottenham were handed a welcome boost on Friday as Heung-min Son's South Korea were knocked out of the Asian Cup by underdogs Qatar.
Abdulaziz Hatem stunning late strike sent the 2022 World Cup hosts to the semi-finals for the first time in front of 13,700 at Zayed Sport City.
Son, who played the full 90 minutes, will now return to the injury-ravaged Premier League side earlier than expected.
Harry Kane and Dele Alli have been ruled out until March, though the striker is privately hoping to return before the end of February, to deplete Mauricio Pochettino's front line.
The fitness concerns worsened on Thursday as Ben Davies suffered a groin strain after 30 minutes before Moussa Sissoko hobbled off late on in his first start since returning from injury.
Danny Rose and Serge Aurier also picked up knocks but Spurs had made all three substitutions so were forced to continue as Spurs picked up their 37th injury to the first team this season.
