Son Heung-Min, Tottenham Hotspur forward was taken off midway through the first half of a Champions League match at Marseille on Tuesday after taking a shoulder to his face in a collision with an opponent.
The South Korean captain received treatment for about four minutes before being assisted off the pitch at Stade Velodrome. Son appeared to be unsteady on his feet as he walked off.
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The setback, if critical, means South Korea will come to the Qatar Party (FIFA World Cup) without their talisman; a development which has sent many Ghanaian football fans into a frenzy on social media.
Tottenham assistant head coach Cristian Stellini, who was filling in for Antonio Conte as he served a sideline ban, after the match that Son’s eye was swollen but added he was already feeling better and would be assessed in the next 24 hours.
The 30-year-old has just over three weeks to recover ahead of South Korea’s opening game against Uruguay on November 24.
It comes after France’s Rafael Varane and Portugal’s Diogo Jota were ruled out of the first-ever winter World Cup after suffering injuries playing for their clubs.
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And Liverpool legend Carragher criticized FIFA’s decision to alter the timing of the tournament from its usual summer slot to mid-season.
South Korea is playing in Group H along with Uruguay, Ghana, and Portugal at the World Cup, which starts in less than three weeks’ time in Qatar.