Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min was the star of the show on Saturday after scoring a hattrick in his side’s 4-0 defeat of Aston Villa and has been praised for his performance by being told that he would start for every team in the Premier League.
And that includes comfortably slotting into both the Liverpool and Manchester City sides who are currently competing at the very top as they go neck-and-neck for the title, which includes the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling.
Yet former Spurs striker Darren Bent believes that the South Korean would fit perfectly into either side, and would even start ahead of Mane under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. His treble at Villa Park over the weekend took Son’s tally to 17 Premier League goals for the season and Bent feels that his ability on the left hand side would get him into any team.
Bent told talkSPORT : “Yes, I think he does [get into any Premier League side] now. The only exception was I always used to think, would he get ahead of Sadio Mane?
“Probably a couple of seasons ago, not last season because Mane had a bit of a down year, but Heung-min Son steps up all the time. He scores goals, creates goals, and can finish with either foot.
“I think on that left-hand side he would get into any Premier League team. City as well. He carries such a goal-threat. He’s intelligent with his movement, he consistently scores goals every season. I think you would put him in there.”
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Bent has labelled the 29-year-old as a more consistent performer than Mane and over the past two seasons, there is certainly reason to believe that. Last campaign, Son registered 17 top flight goals compared to Mane’s 11, while in the current campaign, Son has already registered the same amount, with the Senegalese forward scoring 13.
Considering Son has already equalled his tally from last season in nine fewer games shows he is still continuing to improve in north London, and with his impressive link up play with teammate Harry Kane, the pair have become one of the deadliest duos in the top flight this campaign.
The South Korean has impressive speed and dribbling skills that allow him to glide past his opponents, and his eye for goal has played a huge part in helping Spurs climb into the top four, but he has also continued to provide for his comrades, with seven assists to his name so far this season.
Meanwhile, breaking into Pep Guardiola’s title-chasing squad is no easy feat, yet Bent backs Son to start ahead of the likes of Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish on that left wing. One advantage that he already has on the Etihad trio is he has registered more goals than all of them, while their combined total of 19 is just two more than the South Korean’s.
There is no doubting that City’s options on that left flank are all very talented, yet purely based off this season alone, it is arguable to say that Son has been better than all three of them, which is perhaps why Bent feels he would start under Guardiola at the Etihad.
Son has been integral to Spurs’ revival in the second half of this season as they have surged into the top four, and should they achieve Champions League football next season, he will once again be a huge player under Antonio Conte - who may struggle to keep him on his books if he keeps performing so well.
