Summary
Son Heung-min has lit up the World Cup and the Premier League but unnervingly it is the Asian Games in Indonesia that could make or break the career of the prolific South Korean forward. Anything less than gold and the 26-year-old Son faces a compulsory stint of nearly two years' military service – a severe blow to the player, his national team and his club, Tottenham Hotspur.
Son, who signed a new, five-year deal with Spurs in July, has been released in return for missing South Korea's first two games at January's senior-level Asian Cup, along with an international friendly in November.
The Asian Games is not a FIFA tournament, so clubs are not obliged to make players available.
Son missed the last edition, when South Korea beat North Korea in a tense final, after Bayer Leverkusen refused to release him.
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