Son Heung-min’s long-term future clear as Ange Postecoglou spells out Tottenham plan

Son Heung-min is showing no signs of slowing down with Ange Postecoglou backing Tottenham’s captain to remain among Premier League’s elite for years to come

Ange Postecoglou is backing Son Heung-min to shine for years to come – just do not expect him to segue into a new role as he gets older.

Skipper Son is beginning to show signs of rejuvenation for a Spurs side that goes in search of a fourth straight league win against Manchester City on Wednesday night.

And Postecoglou reckons there is no sign of the 32-year-old slowing down with his pair of assists for Brennan Johnson against Ipswich last weekend already putting him on course for his best campaign as a creator.

Tottenham ’s schedule has appeared less hectic since they bowed out of both domestic cup competitions and the South Korea star is being helped by the extra rest and training.

Asked how long he thinks Son can keep playing at the top level, Postecoglou said: “No idea but Sonny’s benefitted from the fact he’s been able to have a break between games.

“We saw that on the weekend, after being able to recover from one game to another and having a full week to get his energy levels back, he was outstanding, particularly in the first half.

“And he was great before. You never want to try to predict with players like Sonny how long he will go for because those kind of players I think always defy whatever odds there are because of the way they look after themselves and conduct themselves, the levels.

“Even this year, as difficult as it has been for us, I think his numbers still stack up. You weigh him up against any winger in the league, he’s still going to be top five. He’s probably been top five in the nine or ten years he’s been here.

“Not many would rank with Sonny in terms of output on a consistent basis from his position. He’s top 10 per cent of players in his position in the Premier League. Those are the facts and if he’s continuing to do that, there’s nothing to say he should slow down.”

Equally when time catches up with Son, Postecoglou cannot envisage a situation where he reinvents himself in a different role. So while Harry Kane and before that Wayne Rooney dropped deeper as their careers progressed, Son’s skillset points to him remaining out wide.

“Not really with the attributes he has,” Postecoglou added. “The thing people look at in his position is speed and kinda players who have speed as their main attribute, that goes and they drift into other areas.

“I don’t think that’s Sonny’s main attribute. His ability to beat players, even in tight areas, is elite. His finishing, I think, is elite. You’re talking about a winger who has scored so many goals. It’s a hard position to score goals regularly from.

“I don’t think that will ever deteriorate to a situation where he will play at centre-half. He will always be an attacking player. Out wide.

“Obviously we’ve played him down the middle but that’s been needs based and he’s always done a great job for us. Out wide is where he is more comfortable. That can change where he plays in a team where he can drift more.

“With us it’s a bit more fixed. If at the age of 40 he wants to keep playing at another club or he’s here and change the way he plays as a wide player that can happen. But I think he will always be a wide player.”

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