Why Son Heung-min could miss two seasons for Tottenham Hotspur

What a player Son Heung-min has been for Tottenham Hotspur this season.
The South Korean forward has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season, including 12 in the Premier League, and has emerged into one of Mauricio Pochettino’s more reliable performers.

And Son, who has seven goals in his past four matches, just became even more important to Spurs following the news that Harry Kane is out until April with an ankle injury.

Kane’s injury is a major setback but Son will see it as an opportunity to prove he deserves to be considered one of the best attackers in the Premier League.
The aim for Tottenham is the FA Cup and a top four finish. Son has an integral part to play in securing both.

However, bad news could be on the horizon for the north London outfit.
Tottenham are in the midst of an exciting rise but they face losing Son for two seasons, per the Mirror.

 

Why Son could miss two seasons

That’s because the 25-year-old is legally required to spend time in the South Korean Army.
Under Korean law, Son must complete 21 months of military service before he turns 28.
This means he has to start in July 2019 and would miss the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.



There’s a chance that Son can avoid his military duty; his conscription with the Korean government allows Olympic medalists or Asian Games gold medalists a pass.

Other means of sporting excellence can result in Son avoiding military duty. If, for instance, he and South Korea shine at this summer’s World Cup then the government may decide to grant him an exemption.

The Asian Games will take place in Indonesia later this year and Son could be included in the squad.
If so, it would mean missing the start of next season - but Tottenham fans would accept it if South Korea win the tournament and Son gets to avoid joining the army.



The Sun claim that Son would face jail if he refuses to join the army. More that 400 people are currently imprisoned for doing exactly that.

It’s a similar situation to the one that former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung faced.
He was required to join the South Korean Army but was granted an exemption when the nation reached the semi-final of the 2002 World Cup.