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Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-Min is the perfect replacement for injured striker Harry Kane, according to Sky Sports pundit Danny Murphy.
Kane appeared to sustain a serious injury in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City, limping straight down the tunnel after an unfortunate clash with England team-mate Fabian Delph.
What’s the word?
Son scored the only goal of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs collected a potentially vital victory ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
The strike came about after Kane’s injury, with interchanging Son and Lucas Moura trusted to lead the line in his absence.
The South Korea international scored in three consecutive Premier League games when Kane was absent with another ankle injury earlier this year.
And Murphy thinks that Son should be given the task of replacing the 25-year-old as Spurs look to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals and finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Debate podcast (08:03), he said: “There’s two or three times he’s stepped in and their win ratio has gone up.
“Son has wonderful attributes to play as a striker. His energy is unbelievable. He can run in behind, he can link the play.
“He’s not quite the finisher Kane is but he’s not a bad substitution to have in that position.
“You’re not restricted by having him there whereas if you play Llorente maybe you would be because he can’t do the running in behind.”
Spurs’ second-best player
Son might well be the second-best player at Tottenham after Kane.
But with the latter injured, the burden may again fall on Son, and he has the cojones to live up to it.
He is used to being the main man for his country – South Korea have not produced an attacking player of his talent in generations – and can be again for Spurs.
He has scored 18 goals in all competitions but went five games without scoring after the England striker returned to fitness.
Now he is back on the goal trail – he also scored the first goal against Crystal Palace, the maiden competitive goal at the new stadium – and the timing could not be better.
Murphy, then, is completely right to call for Mauricio Pochettino to place his faith in the South Korean.