Ange Postecoglou backs Heung-min Son to overcome Tottenham struggles in warning to doubters | OneFootball

Spurs skipper has not scored from open play since September

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has backed Heung-min Son to get back to his best and says he would be "wary" of doubting the South Korean.

Asked ahead of Thursday's visit to Bournemouth if the 32-year-old was in decline, Postecoglou compared Son to Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, who finished last season slowly but has been rejuvenated under Arne Slot this term.

“I don't get that sense. I still feel from a physical output and the quality he has and certainly from a mentality point of view, I haven't seen it.

“What I do know is, from my own experience, the end comes pretty quickly.

“It's not falling off a cliff but you find with a lot of great players that all of a sudden it's gone from bang to bang, it's not a slow deterioration.

“I don't see that in Sonny, I still think he's got a hell of a lot of quality and from a physical standpoint, the way he looks after himself, I don't see his abilities diminishing just due to the age factor at the moment. I don’t see that.

“You weigh up the output of it and he is not at the level so far this year that he has been in previous years but that's a pretty high standard he's had in the past.

“Can he get there this year? I still think he can.

Heung-min Son has struggled for goals at Tottenham this season

Action Images via Reuters

“I think a lot of that is down to consistent game time.

“He's had a bit of a disrupted start this year where's he's had a couple of setbacks where he hasn't played regularly.

“I think with Sonny the more regularly he plays the increase in that output. So the answer is no, I don’t think so, and I'd be wary about writing him off."

Son has occasionally cut a frustrated figure this season, notably after being substituted early in the second half of the 4-1 win over Aston Villa last month, but Postecoglou says he remains largely positive, despite a mixed season personally so far.

“He’s no different in training," Postecoglou continued. "With Sonny, what you see is what you get on a daily basis. He’s a very optimistic and very energetic and enthusiastic kind of person and you know when he’s down because it stands out like a set thumb. But that rarely happens.

“He tackles things pretty determinedly and optimistically and I don’t have an issue with that. Sometimes as a manager, you get annoyed when you know that players are just putting things on for a crowd, for a reaction when it’s not really them.

“That annoys me more than someone just being themselves. Sonny, like I said, is what you see is what you get. Exactly the same person on a daily basis."

Son led the line in the 1-1 draw with Fulham at the weekend after Dominic Solanke was ruled out through illness but could return to the wing for the visit to the Vitality Stadium.

Solanke is set to train on Wednesday and is hoping to be ready to face his former club.

"He wanted to play on the weekend too but he couldn’t get out of his car let alone run around pitch," Postecoglou said.

“Hopefully he will get through training, we’ve got another 24 hours to game time and I know how closely connected he feels with Bournemouth because it was his way back to having the career he wanted.

“Through Bournemouth, he got a move here, got back in the England squad and all these kind of things. His journey of starting at some big clubs, not quite working out, Bournemouth were the ones who invested in him, worked with him.

“He spent a lot of time there, I’m sure he wants to do well not because he wants to hurt them but because he wants to show them that everything they invested in him is appreciated."

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