Mauricio Pochettino admitted that he was delighted to welcome Heung-min Son back to Tottenham Hotspur earlier than anticipated after South Korea’s exit from the Asia Cup.

The South Korean was knocked out with his side at the quarter-final stage, and scored on his return for Tottenham Hotspur.

Pochettino hails 'amazing effort' from Son

It was a vital goal, an equaliser for Spurs against Watford that sparked a comeback leading to a crucial 2-1 victory.

“It was an amazing effort from Son, and a great goal. From the beginning, he showed energy. I am so happy with his performance, but even more happy because he showed a massive commitment,” Pochettino explained.

“It wasn’t the plan to play him for 90 minutes. It was too much. But we needed to take a little bit of a risk.

“I am always happy with him. He’s a very nice guy. He always delivers the job that you expect from him.”

Pochettino admits Son could miss weekend fixture

Son returned to Tottenham on Saturday and Pochettino revealed that “he finished [the game] very tired with some cramps.”

The Spurs boss was unsure if Son would be ready to play again at the weekend when Tottenham face Newcastle United.

“Of course, he was disappointed to lose the quarter-final. He wanted to deliver for his country.

“But at the same time, I need to be honest, I am happy that he is back because he’s helping us to try and win.”

Each touch of the ball that Son took was greeted with a great sense of anticipation at Wembley. He is the first of Tottenham’s attacking trio to come back. Harry Kane, captain, and Dele Alli both remain unavailable for some time yet.

Pochettino’s side had crashed out of both domestic cups in midweek and needed a victory against Watford to regain positivity.

For a long time, it looked unlikely to come. The side’s crossing, in particular, was a weakness. When they did manage to find Fernando Llorente with a good delivery, the Spaniard scored the winner late on.

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