Pochettino sad to lose on-fire Son to South Korea once more

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has lamented the fact on-form Son Heung-min will miss another chunk of the club season next month at the Asian Cup.

The South Korean has scored five goals in his last three games as Spurs have soared into second in the Premier League by smashing Everton 6-2 and Bournemouth 5-0 in the past week.

Son missed the start of the season due to his commitments at the Asian Games where South Korea's gold medal ensured he will be exempt from military service.

However, he skipped international duty in November and Spurs instantly saw an upturn in his form as Son netted the first of seven Premier League goals this season against Chelsea on November 24.

"What can I say, Sonny is doing a fantastic job for the team," said Pochettino.

"After November he had a rest and was here trying to recover his best and I think he is doing fantastic.

"He started his fantastic run against Chelsea and until today he is doing a fantastic job for the team.

"I hope he can keep that level, but you know in a few weeks he is going to be away from Tottenham because he needs to go with his national team to Dubai to play the Asian Cup."

Spurs have however managed to negotiate that Son will stay in England until their Premier League clash against Manchester United on January 13.

He will therefore miss the Taegeuk Warriors' first two group games against the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan before joining up for a clash with China on January 16.

Should South Korea reach the final, Son will miss Premier League games against Fulham, Watford and Newcastle, as well as Spurs' League Cup semi-final, second leg against Chelsea.