Son Heung-min injury could spell disaster for Korea

Son Heung-min’s fitness for the 2022 Qatar World Cup was suddenly thrown into question on Tuesday night when the talismanic Korean captain took a shoulder to the face during a UEFA Champions League clash with Marseille.

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min receives treatment after taking a knock during a UEFA Champions League Group D match against Marseille at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]

Son Heung-min’s fitness for the 2022 Qatar World Cup was suddenly thrown into question on Tuesday night when the talismanic Korean captain took a shoulder to the face during a UEFA Champions League clash with Marseille.

Son was taken off in the 29th minute at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, France, after Chancel Mbemba’s shoulder connected with his face near the halfway line.

Son's face appeared to be heavily swollen and he was helped off the pitch by medical staff. An image posted on Instagram by teammate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after the game showed Son celebrating the win with the team, but he appears to be struggling to open his left eye.

As of press time Wednesday, no further information about the state of Son’s injury has been confirmed by the club.

Speaking after the game on Tuesday night, assistant manager Cristian Stellini, who managed the game as Antonio Conte was banned from the touchline, made it clear that the extent of Son’s injury is unclear but he does feel better.

“In this moment, we don't know,” Stellini said. “We have to wait for a medical assessment, and we have to wait until tomorrow. Sonny feels better now. I saw him in the dressing room. He celebrated with us. So we will wait for tomorrow.”

Stellini confirmed that the injury was to Son’s face and his eye is swollen, adding that the club are unsure if he has sustained a concussion.

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min, front row right, poses with teammates after a UEFA Champions League game against Marseille in an image posted on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's Instagram account. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The worst-case scenario is that Son has fractured his face and requires surgery, experts say, but his appearance in Hojbjerg’s photo could be a good sign.

"The worst case is an orbital fracture, which requires more than eight weeks of treatment,” Dr. Song Jun-seop, director of Gangnam JS Hospital and a doctor for the Korean national football team, told the JoongAng Ilbo. “Considering that Son took a group photo in the locker room, I cautiously speculate that he might have a minor concussion or bruise.

"There are two major possible injuries. Firstly, if he has a mild concussion or bruise, he can take a week off and then may be able to return. That is the ideal situation. On the other hand, the worst case is an orbital fracture. That will require more than eight weeks of treatment due to a fracture in the bone that protects the eyes."

The fact that Son stayed in the locker room, Song says, may mean he wasn’t in as much as pain as might be expected from an orbital fracture.

The Korean Football Association has reportedly already contacted Tottenham for an update on Son’s condition.

For Korea the injury could be severely damaging. Injuries to the face are unpredictable and the nature of Son’s injury is still unknown, but as the talismanic Korean captain, anything that takes him off his game in Qatar could be a disaster for the national team.

The World Cup kicks off on Nov. 20, with Korea set to play their first game against Uruguay on Nov. 24. If Son does not require surgery for the injury, that gives him just three weeks to recover before that opening game, and even less time before he would be expected to join the rest of the Korean squad for training.

For Korean national team head coach Paulo Bento it could also create a very perilous situation. Son is the most-capped active player in the Korean team, with over 100 national team appearances, and the top active goalscorer, with 35.

He has been at the center of every full-strength attacking line Korea has fielded for the best part of the last decade, and although Bento has a large number of midfielders to choose from, few have the versatility and none have the experience that Son brings to the squad.

While bad news for Son and Korea, Tuesday’s game was a good result for Tottenham. The London club went on to beat Marseille 2-1 to top Group D and earn a spot in the Champions League knockout stage early next year.

Spurs have three games scheduled before then; against Liverpool on Sunday, Nottingham Forest on Nov. 9 and Leeds on Nov. 12.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]