'I feel responsible' – Son Heung-Min makes honest admission after Antonio Conte’s departure as Tottenham head coach
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 29/03/2023 at 08:34 GMT
Son Heung-Min reflected on Antonio Conte's departure from Tottenham Hotspur in the aftermath of South Korea's 2-1 friendly defeat to Uruguay on Tuesday. Son has not reached the heights of previous seasons after netting only six goals in 26 Premier League appearances to date. The 30-year-old's was the league's joint top-scorer alongside Mohamed Salah last season after scoring 23 goals.
"I feel responsible" - Spurs star Son reveals guilt over Conte exit
Son Heung-Min has spoken honestly since Antonio Conte’s departure as Tottenham Hotspur head coach and insists he "should have shown more" during the Italian’s tenure in charge.
Conte’s exit from Spurs was confirmed on Sunday, with his former assistant Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason set to take charge for the remainder of the season.
The former Inter Milan and Juventus boss has expressed his gratitude to the club’s fans after leaving North London, while Son’s team-mate Dejan Kulusevski, expressed his sadness to see Conte leave but stressed the need to move on.
"I'm very sorry to him [Conte],” said Son in an interview with Korean media following the side’s 2-1 defeat to Uruguay.
"He is a world-class manager, we had great journey together, I thank him a lot. I do not know how other players are thinking about him, but I'm sorry to him.
"I should have shown more but I couldn't. I couldn't help the team and I feel responsible as he left the club.
"He surely has great ability and experience as a coach and I'm sure he'll have great success in his future career. Coming back to Spurs, I wish to finish the rest of the season in a great way with my team-mates, for our club.”
Son has failed to hit the heights of last season when he shared the Premier League golden boot with Mohamed Salah after scoring 23 goals in 35 games.
He has managed only six goals in 26 league appearances to date in this campaign, but did score in a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest on March 11 and registered an assist in the 3-3 draw with Southampton – Conte’s last match in charge.
Tottenham currently occupy the coveted fourth spot in the Champions League, but face a huge challenge to secure a place in Europe’s premier club competition next season with Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton all within striking distance.
The club has an extensive list of injuries, with reports suggesting that Emerson Royal could be out for up to six weeks due to surgery required on a knee problem.
Ben Davies is also ruled out of action due to a hamstring problem, with Ryan Sessegnon, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma all on the sidelines.
However, there is some good news on the injury front as Hugo Lloris could return to the side after the international break. The club captain played behind closed doors in a friendly against Ipswich last week.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement