Son Heung-min and Mohamed Salah were born just over three weeks apart in the summer of 1992. Both are legends at their clubs, but their fates are completely opposite.
Salah is said to be having the best campaign of his career as Liverpool move very close to the Premier League title. In contrast, Son Heung-min has struggled with Tottenham and even lost his starting position.
Of course, time awaits no one, especially the players. For a player in his 30s like Sonny, in addition to Spurs' struggles, a decline in form is inevitable.
Salah will turn 33 in June, earlier than Son Heung-min. The Egyptian striker has benefited from a much more stable squad and the impressive impact of coach Arne Slot. The 31 point gap between Liverpool and Tottenham in the Premier League rankings at the moment has spoken it all.
Salah has proven himself to be a model of resilience in the Liverpool squad. Meanwhile, Tottenham fans are starting to question Son Heung-min's motivation after nearly a decade in North London.
The South Korean international has seemed to have been plagued by Tottenham's problems this season. "Maybe the main concern is not that Sonny doesn't score, but that he doesn't laugh," a source told ESPN.
In fact, Sonny's statistics are quite good. He has 6 goals and 9 assists in 24 Premier League appearances this season. Son Heung-min broke the club's record last December with his 68th assist in a 5-0 win over Southampton, surpassing Darren Anderton.
Hamstring and thigh problems have limited Son Heung-min's ability to play for a long time. Spurs' overall injury situation also contributes to the loss of flexibility in tactics of coach Ange Postecoglou.
Sonny is a difference-making player, often able to lead his team to victory despite his shortcomings. He became the 14th player in Spurs' history to make 400 appearances for the club last year. Son Heung-min is also fifth in the club's all-time goalscoring list (172). In addition, he and Robbie Keane are 17th in the Premier League's top 20 scorers list with 126 goals.
However, the Korean player could no longer maintain his reliability on the field. Since the start of December last year, Spurs have lost 11 of their 23 appearances. Against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Arsenal, he was substituted when Spurs needed at least 1 goal to get points.
In the match against Newcastle, Son Heung-min had to sit on the bench from the start, just like when Manchester City won 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
If he cannot find his best form and reaffirm his role, Son Heung-min is at risk of not being guaranteed a starting position in the coming time.
