Tottenham's Son Heung-min Continues to Be Criminally Underrated
Tottenham have a full-fledged superstar on its hands in Harry Kane, and two budding ones in Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen. But there is one man in the Spurs team that continually manages to evade getting the credit he is due. One man that is never really lavished with praise in the same way as his aforementioned teammates, and it's starting to become a crime.
South Korean wizard Heung-min Son signed for Spurs in the summer of 2015 for £22m, and the cynics were out in force to suggest that he was being bought for one reason and one reason only.
Those people are starting to look a little bit silly, with Son fast developing into a top class winger - his goal against Everton on Saturday was his fifth consecutive home goal for the Lilywhites, a feat only matched by Jermain Defoe, and his 40th for the club in all competitions. And he now has eight this season in the Premier League, which is more than the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, Anthony Martial and Eden Hazard.
That really is a fine return for somebody who hasn't always been viewed as an indispensable starter by Mauricio Pochettino - and it sounds like he's definitely starting to gain that status in the eyes of his manager.
The Argentine said, via HITC: "It's three months we've been talking about Sonny's performance. He's showing he's more mature than last season and his performances are helping the team a lot. He, today, everyone can see that he's on more of a level, the belief and confidence that show in every game is fantastic. He's been doing so well this season of course."
He may have got himself on the scoresheet once again on Saturday, but it was his all round game that caught the eye; his ability to take up excellent attacking positions, his inclination to be direct and take people on, his intelligence to wreak havoc by seeking space away from his natural left wing, and his admirable willingness to do the defensive duties Pochettino is so big on.
His man-of-the match performance against the Toffees was simply just another day at the office for Son, who has been quietly been killing it all season for Spurs.
The club are absolutely on to a winner with him because he, like Kane, just gets it. It always helps being a great player, but having a great attitude to accompany that goes a long way in the eyes of football fans - that is part of the reason the Spurs faithful adore him.
Following his stunning strike against West Ham, Son did not talk up his own performance or say how it was probably the best goal he's ever scored, he instead rued the fact that he was Spurs couldn't take all three points, and that is Son personified - a man who declines to bask in his own fantastic abilities and instead chooses to ride the wave of love for the game.
And it doesn't stop there - Son is supposedly a tremendous character behind the scenes, with Pochettino explaining how well liked he is by his teammates in the dressing room. Sometimes you can see evidence of that on a Saturday or Sunday via a quirky handshake, or a video clip from training in midweek.
It can be argued that he could start for any one of the other top five clubs in the Premier League, so it's extremely important for Spurs to end their trophy drought soon before they lose a genuine star footballer. With Son playing as well and as consistently as he is though, that wait for a trophy may soon be over.
