Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea star Son Heung-Min will undergo surgery to stabilise a fracture around his left eye, making him a major doubt for the World Cup that starts later this month.
Tottenham confirmed that Son will need surgery after he suffered a blow to his face that forced him off in the first half of Tottenham’s crucial Champions League victory over Marseille on Tuesday.
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The Premier League club did not give a timeline for Son’s return but they are not yet ruling him out of participating in Qatar, though it will depend on the surgery and how he recovers.
The World Cup will begin on Nov. 20, with South Korea playing their first game on Nov. 24 against Uruguay before finishing out the group stage against Ghana (Nov. 28) and Portugal (Dec. 2)
Son is a key player for a South Korea team looking to make it to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time since 2010. The 30-year-old scored seven goals in 13 games for South Korea in qualifying for Qatar.
Son is certain to miss time for Tottenham, who face Premier League games against Liverpool and Leeds as well as a Carabao Cup tie against Nottingham Forest ahead of the World Cup break.
Information from ESPN’s James Olley was used in this report.