Son Heung-min has been left out of the Tottenham squad, travelling to France for their first Europa Conference League game against Rennes. Spurs will face the middling French side at Roazhon Park today at 17:45 BST.
The South Korean playmaker had sustained a calf injury last Saturday while being on international duty. As a result, Son was absent in Crystal Palace’s 3-0 drubbing of the Lilywhites. With their first loss in four Premier League games, Tottenham sit in seventh place due to an inferior goal difference.
In a statement, Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed Son’s unavailability, saying,
“I cannot say. They are improving, day by day they are better, but alongside the South American players, we still have to assess.”
To add insult to injury, defensive stalwart Eric Dier will also miss the said fixture against Rennes due to a recent hiccup against Crystal Palace. The Englishman exited the pitch in agony in the 12th minute due to a dead leg.
Their South American mainstays Giovanni Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez, have also been ruled out for breaching Premier League guidelines while travelling to their native continent to partake in World Cup qualifiers.
Having lost their initial Conference League playoff game against Pacos Ferreira, Spurs bounced back straight away in the next match, winning the tie 3-1 on aggregate. With so many absentees, the London-based club will be hoping to avoid such a fiasco again.
