Son: "I hope Tottenham players will take a step forward in my absence"

Tottenham captain Son Heung-min is confident that the team will step up while he plays in the Asian Cup with South Korea.

Song Hin Min, Getty Images

"I hope the boys can take a step forward. They are my family and my teammates. I hope they can score as many goals as possible. When Harry Kane was here and he missed some games because of injuries, I felt I needed to do my best.

I hope the players see it the same way, that they need to step up in this situation. In this situation, you grow as a player and a person. Richardison is doing a fantastic job, I hope he's hungry for goals, as well as Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson. I hope that everyone who plays in attack can score as many goals as possible and put us in a better position. I want that more than anything," Goal quoted Son as saying.

Son could potentially miss up to five Tottenham games. South Korea will face Bahrain, Jordan and Malaysia in the group stage of the Asian Cup. The team is expected to book a ticket to the next stage of the tournament. The Asian Cup final will take place on 10 February.

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