Tottenham’s forward, Son Heung-min, has disclosed that he battled pain from a hernia injury throughout the entirety of last season, writes the Evening Standard.
It was a disappointing campaign for the Korean, as he managed to score in just one out of his first 18 Premier League matches. By the end, he had only six goals to his name, a stark contrast to his previous season when he was the joint top-scorer in the division.
Following the conclusion of Spurs’ season, Son underwent surgery, as was initially reported earlier this week. During his time on international duty, the 30-year-old opened up about his situation.
“I wondered a lot if I should even make this public, but I struggled with pain all season,” he told TV Chosun.
“I played through it for eight to nine months, but couldn’t go on anymore, so I made the decision finally and underwent surgery.
“Even for simple actions like passing or turning, every movement starts from your core muscles, that’s exactly where my pain was. I was only able to do 60 per cent of what you could [normally] do at 100 per cent.”
Despite having recently undergone surgery, Son expressed his strong resolve to assist new South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann in securing his first victory as a manager in the upcoming pair of friendly matches this month.
He stated: “If we don’t win in June, the boss won’t have a chance to win his first game with us until September. I have a strong desire to be with him to celebrate his first win.”