When will Son Heung-Min play again for Tottenham?

It feels like forever since Son Heung-Min played for Tottenham. Now that he’s back with his club, when will Spurs put him on the pitch again?

If it were left purely up to Son Heung-Min, he’d be in Tottenham’s starting XI to take on Liverpool this weekend. Fortunately, it’s not just up to the Korean striker. Club officials have a big decision on their hands as to when they should allow Son to step back onto the pitch for Spurs.

While Mauricio Pochettino will be tempted to put Son right back into the squad, that’s clearly the wrong decision for his long-term future with the club. The reality is the silky attacker has played eight taxing football matches over the last 26 days. In particular, the energy he spent powering South Korea to an Asian Games championship should earn him some rest.

After all, he had a ton riding on that competition. Few people can understand the pressure of trying to win a series of football matches to avoid two years of military service. Son deserves an extended mental and physical break.

Unfortunately, Spurs are entering the thick of their Premier League and Champions League campaigns. Saturday’s match against Liverpool is obviously a massive fixture. It could have huge implications on where each club finishes in the final Premier League table. Even so, Son shouldn’t suit up against the Reds.

After that, Spurs will head to Italy to open up their Champions League schedule at Inter Milan. Son shouldn’t be pressed into action for this match either. Again, it would be nice to have him on the pitch, but it’s a long season. Pochettino has to play the long game here.

Coming off the trip to Italy, Spurs have three matches where they’ll be strong favourites. They have trips to Brighton and Huddersfield in Premier League action with a match against Watford in the Carabao Cup in between. It’s possible Pochettino will give Son a little bit of playing time in one of these fixtures, but that’s not the most likely scenario.

The October 3rd fixture against Barcelona at home in the Champions League is the right time to bring Son back into the lineup. Holding him out until then would give him two full weeks of recovery. Ideally, Pochettino will give him a few days to rest before slowly integrating him into training once again. The target date should be to get Son ready to go in arguably the club’s most prestigious match of the season.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he should start the match. That decision will depend on his form during training. It’s also possible that Lucas Moura will continue to be the focal point of the club’s attack between now and then. If that happens, Son could be in for a lengthy run on the bench.

He’s still a terrific asset for Pochettino. Don’t expect Son to come right back into the squad. Instead, pencil him in for a gorgeous European night against Barcelona.