Spurs’ Son set to return against West Ham

REUTERS – Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min is keen to get back among the goals against derby rivals West Ham United on Sunday, with the South Korean attacking midfielder set to make his first club start since injuring his foot in September.

Son scored two goals for South Korea during the international break, but has not started for Spurs since they beat Premier League leaders Manchester City 4-1 at White Hart Lane on Sept. 26.

He joined Spurs in the close season from German side Bayer Leverkusen and endeared himself to the North London club’s fans instantly, scoring three goals in his first three games.

His return could not come at a better time for manager Mauricio Pochettino, who will be without the services of Eric Lamela due to a suspension.

“I hope to score again for the club because, as an offensive player, when I play I want to score every game. This is normal for me,” the 23-year-old told the club’s website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com).

“I know this coming match against West Ham is very important for us – I want to score and hopefully we will win,” he added.

“I’m confident we can do it because we are very strong. We are very positive for Sunday.”

Spurs (fifth) and West Ham (sixth) are level on points, with Tottenham ahead on goal difference.

West Ham have won all three London derbies they have played in the league this season, beating Arsenal and Crystal Palace away and Chelsea at home.

Spurs are on an 11-game unbeaten run stretching back to their opening day defeat by Manchester United on Aug. 8, and defender Danny Rose attributes their resilience to learning from the errors of last season.

“We’ve learned from our mistakes of last season in terms of conceding sloppy goals and now we’re confident that if we score one or two we can win the game,” the 25-year-old said.

“We know we’re always going to score goals with Harry (Kane) up top and the likes of Christian (Eriksen) and Sonny (Son) behind him.

“We’re excited but we don’t want to look too far ahead. We’ve two London derbies coming up next against West Ham and Chelsea, two tough games, but an opportunity for us playing at home,” he added.

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)