Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on out-of-form Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min, defending him against claims of being dropped from the first team.
Son, 30, has been operating below his world-class standards so far in the ongoing 2022-23 campaign. Despite starting all eight matches for his team, the Korean is yet to find the back of the net this season.
Last season, he won the Premier League Golden Boot alongside Liverpool star Mohamed Salah for scoring 23 goals in 35 matches.
Speaking on BT Sport (via Evening Standard), Ferdinand shared his thoughts on whether Son deserves to be dropped. He said:
"No chance, blasphemy. Golden Boot winner last season, joint top goalscorer with Mohamed Salah. We're six Premier League games in, a couple of Champions League games... and they're asking for him to be dropped?"
He added:
"Were they asking for Harry Kane to be dropped when he didn't score in August all those times? For me, if I'm taking a player out of the Spurs team, [deciding between] him or Harry Kane would be the flip of a coin. He's a top, top player.”
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen also chimed in and said:
"It's the best he's ever had in his eighth season, I totally agree with Rio. Short memories. If you're Manchester United, City or Liverpool and you say, 'You can have one player', I'd say the majority would take Son. You've got to be patient with top players."
Son joined Tottenham Hotspur from Bayer Leverkusen for £22 million in the summer of 2015. Overall, he has registered 131 goals and 75 assists in 333 appearances across all competitions for Spurs.
Spurs, who are currently third in the Premier League standings, will next face Leicester City at home on Saturday (September 17).
Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane on the radar of Bayern Munich, says journalist
According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, Bayern Munich have approached Harry Kane's brother and agent, Charlie Kane, for a potential transfer in the winter transfer window. He told Sky Germany:
"I am totally convinced Harry Kane will become a very, very hot topic at Bayern Munich for the next transfer window. There was definitely contact between the Bayern responsibles and Charlie Kane, the brother of Harry. We hear it confirmed that Harry Kane can really imagine joining Bayern."
Kane, 29, has scored 253 goals and contributed 59 assists in 394 matches across all competitions for Tottenham Hotspur.