Tottenham star forward Son Heung-min hasn't featured in a game since laboring through 80 minutes in a first leg draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, as he's been dealing with a nagging injury. But Son is finally getting closer to returning to the pitch.
Initially, it seemed like Tottenham were keeping Son out of the lineup as a way of shutting him down for Mathys Tel and the criticism of a benching, as there were transfer rumblings of a move to Saudi Arabia, as well as a need to see more of what Tel can bring to the table with an option to buy deadline on the horizon.
It looks more likely that Son was playing through a foot injury for longer than he should have, and after noticing just how below his standard he was against Eintracht, Ange Postecoglou and Spurs finally made the right move to shut the South Korean superstar down for a bit.
Son Heung-min could return for the second leg
There was a slight chance Son could have played in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals against Bodo Glimt, but that predictably didn't materialize. Son wasn't fully ready yet, and Tottenham didn't feel the need to risk him, instead starting a veteran pairing of Richarlison on the left wing and Dominic Solanke at striker en route to a 3-1 opening win.
Now, Tottenham are finally getting some good news on the Son Heung-min injury front. According to manager Ange Postecoglou, via The Spurs Express, the 32-year-old is back on the grass and pushing hard to return for the second, decisive leg on the road against Bodo Glimt in the Europa League.
Tottenham will face Bodo Glimt next Thursday, so that gives Spurs plenty of time to have their most accomplished player back on the pitch. While Tottenham can and should win without Son in this second leg, given their, ahem, history of not gettin the job done in important games, having the captain and best big-game player back would indeed be huge, even if Son has struggled in 2025.
A healthy Son is still, by far, the best forward Tottenham have, and it will be huge if he can continue to make progress at practice and get into the team sheet against Bodo Glimt. But that means he shouldn't play this weekend against West Ham in the Premier League. That is the time for Tel to shine against a winnable opponent in a league that is clearly lost.