Tottenham star Son Heung-min is set to miss the Premier League's return to full training as he completes his mandatory three weeks of military service in South Korea.
The South Korean returned to his native country last month to complete the service when it was announced that the Premier League would be suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, but the competition looks set to get back underway with clubs returning to training on 18 May.
#thfc forward Heung-Min Son pictured during his obligatory national service with South Korea. pic.twitter.com/qWNlVVSEKY
— Hotspur Related (@HotspurRelated) April 27, 2020
It is expected that Son will complete his conscription and return to the UK on 10 May, according to the Evening Standard, but a new government ruling means that he will serve 14 days in quarantine, as all incoming entries to the UK must do so.
The 14 days of self-isolation for the 27-year-old would follow on from two previous spells in quarantine; Son first had to isolate for 14 days in February when he returned from South Korea after receiving arm surgery. He then had to serve another spell in isolation when arriving into Seoul ahead of his military duties last month.
With the Premier League targeting a full return for early June, Son would likely miss the first week of the proposed 'pre-season' that has been sanctioned to allow teams to train and return to full fitness together.
The UK government have urged the Premier League to return to action as soon as possible, in an attempt to boost the morale of the general public.
For Tottenham, however, a return to full training would be welcomed, as they look to put coronavirus related controversies behind them. During the period of downtime, the club has had to deal with two instances of first-team players and staff training together in public, ignoring government guidelines.
Son's return to the UK will be one of many, however, with clubs informing their players to get back as quickly as possible as a return to action nears. It remains to be seen how the government sanctioned 14-day quarantine period will affect the proposed return.
Source : 90min