Bengaluru, Dec 21: Tottenham Hotspur could be without the services of their star attacker Heung-Min Son for two-and-a-half weeks after he was called into the South Korea squad for the Asian Cup in January.

The 26-year-old is in sensational form this season and has scored six goals in 21 games in all competitions for Spurs, including the opener in their 2-0 League Cup quarter-final victory over Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday (December 19). But at a crucial period of the season, Pochettino might have to field a side without him due to his call-up to the national team.

The 26-year-old has been picked by South Korea for the upcoming Asian Cup games which kick off on January 5 and will last till February 1 in the United Arab Emirates. The player, however, will be available for selection till January 13 because of a negotiation with the South Korean FA that will see Son join the squad later than his teammates.

Son will join up with the squad after their opening two group games against the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan. He will appear against China in the final group game which will see him missing at least one of Spurs’ fixtures in the new year and potentially four in total should South Korea, as expected, reach the final at the start of February.

Only in an ideal world for Spurs should South Korea eliminate from group stage following their third and final group game against China on January 16th Son wouldn’t miss a single game.

However, South Korea are the highest-ranked team in their group and the fourth highest in the entire competition. They are expected to mount a title challenge in the competition hence this scenario is very much unlikely.

It will be the second time this season when Son will be absent for a lengthy period of time due to international commitments after he missed three of Spurs’ opening four games of the season to compete in the Asian Games. However, the South Korean captained his side to victory in that competition and to his delight availed an exempt from undertaking a two-year military service which is usually mandatory for South Korean males under the age of 28.

The games that Son could miss: January 20th: Vs Fulham (Away); January 22nd: Chelsea (Away); January 30th: Watford (Home); February 2nd: Newcastle (Home).