Antonio Conte ‘hopeful’ Son will be fit for World Cup

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte is “confident” Son Heung-min will be able to feature for South Korea at the World Cup in Qatar.

The forward suffered a fractured eye socket during Spurs’ 2-1 victory against Marseille in the Champions League in midweek, sparking concerns about his availability for the upcoming tournament.

It was then confirmed that Son would undergo surgery on his injury and he missed Sunday’s defeat to Liverpool, with Conte confirming ahead of the match he would not play for Spurs again before the season breaks for the World Cup.

However, Conte had an encouraging update for Son’s availability for the tournament in Qatar as he believes he will represent his nation.

“With Sonny, I sent him a message after the surgery,” he said after the loss to Liverpool.

“Sonny was really, really disappointed with this situation but I hope for him to recover very well and to play in the World Cup because I was a player and I know the importance of the World Cup.

“I’m confident that he can come back quickly and play in the World Cup. He’s not in hospital now, he’s home.”

The World Cup gets underway on November 20 but Son has a further four days recovery before South Korea begin their campaign in Group H against Uruguay.