Tottenham’s hopes of reaching the Carabao Cup final were already hanging by a thread by the time Son Heung-min sustained a muscle injury in the semi-final first leg defeat to Chelsea.
The 29-year-old was replaced by Giovani Lo Celso in the 79th minute of the Carabao Cup tie, though Antonio Conte initially said the decision was not because of an injury.
“It was to give some rest,” the Spurs boss said. “Then the day after he felt a bit of pain in his muscle, in his leg and he had a scan… He has an injury. I don’t know but probably he could stay without training until the end of this cycle, before the international break.”
The South Korea international has already missed one game, the 3-1 win over Morecambe in the FA Cup third round. With Harry Kane and Lucas Moura also rested before coming off the bench with Spurs 1-0 down, they started with a front two of Bryan Gil and Dele Alli.
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For the more challenging fixtures of the second leg against Chelsea, which takes place on Wednesday night, and the north London derby against Arsenal on Sunday, Conte will once again have to find a way to fill the gap left by Son.
It is set to be one of his biggest tactical conundrums since his appointment in November. Steven Berwijn would ordinarily be the obvious replacement but the winger has been struggling with a calf injury. There is also significant doubt over his long-term future at the club as he continues to be linked with a move back to the Eredivisie – though on Tuesday, Conte insisted Bergwijn was still part of his plans.
“I count on him,” he said. “He’s a player with different characteristics to Sonny, Lucas and Harry. He’s very good 1v1, he’s a creative player that we don’t have in our squad.”
Gil, meanwhile, did not impress against Morecambe and has made only 13 appearances in all competitions. While he was playing out of position in Sunday’s cup game, he is yet to score or register an assist since his summer arrival from Sevilla.
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Lo Celso will be vying with Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for a place in midfield, but it remains unclear if Tanguy Ndombele will be included after he was jeered for his leisurely departure from the pitch when he was substituted against Morecambe. Reports have since suggested Spurs’ record signing will now seek a move away in January.
Son is Spurs’ top scorer in the league this season with eight, although he was struggling for form prior to his injury with just one goal in his last five games.
Tottenham’s task is made all the more difficult by the absence of their two first-choice centre-backs, Eric Dier and Cristian Romero.
Despite the clear holes in his squad, however, Conte was coy on whether Spurs would dip into the January transfer market to address them. “I spoke with the club and I had my thoughts about the situation,” he added.
“I think this is the most important thing. Then the club has to decide the best way to go. I don’t have expectations. I’m a coach and I know we have to solve many problems. For me, in this moment the best possible way is to try to get the best out of my players and to improve the squad. I think now in this moment this is the only way I can go to try and improve the situation.
“And then the club know very well our situation and has to take the best decision.”
Predicted XI: Lloris, Sanchez, Rodon, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Winks, Reguilon; Lucas, Kane
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