Son Heung-min ‘injured’ in table tennis row with team-mates

The Spurs forward suffered the injury on the eve of South Korea’s exit from the Asian Cup

Tottenham and South Korea captain Son Heung-min injured his finger in an altercation with team-mates on the eve of the country’s exit from the Asian Cup.

The players quarrelled during a team dinner ahead of their 2-0 semi-final defeat by Jordan last week, which extended their 64-year wait for another Asian Cup title.

“It happened when some young players went up to play table tennis, and Son Heung-min and other older players took issue with it,” a South Korean Football Federation official told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.

“The players exchanged a few words and Son hurt his finger in the process.”

The Korean Football Association were not immediately available for comment regarding the incident.

After returning from the tournament in Qatar, Son came off the bench in Tottenham’s Premier League match against Brighton on Saturday with his right index and middle finger strapped together.

The 31-year-old helped Spurs secure a 2-1 victory with a 96th-minute assist for fellow substitute Brennan Johnson.

Son Heung-min could be seen sporting finger strapping during Tottenham’s win over Brighton (Getty Images)

Manager Ange Postecoglou hailed the “world-class” Son’s impact on his return to club atction.

“The fact we could bring on two attacking players who are going to be a threat, it maybe looks simple but that ball that Sonny played, that’s a world-class player in a clutch moment,” Postecoglou said after his side snatched a late victory.

“You look at [Son’s] record in the Premier League, the toughest league in the world, his goal contributions irrespective of how the team’s gone through the time he’s been here have always been right up there.

“Even this year, before he left, I think he was probably the best attacking player in the competition, just my opinion obviously. Certainly he’d be up there.

“He’s a world-class player. To have a world-class player for the run-in is brilliant for us.”

Reuters