Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou admitted that Son Heung-min was "a bit sore" after Thursday's 2-1 loss to West Ham United but did not rule the attacker out of Sunday's clash with Newcastle United.
Spurs slumped to a fourth defeat from five Premier League matches in North London in midweek, where a Cristian Romero opener was rendered inconsequential by Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse.
Lilywhites captain Son endured a largely ineffective evening in the final third, and his night was cut short late into the second half, as he was seen grimacing on the field before trudging off the field.
Son was also in visible pain as he took his place in the dugout, although the 31-year-old played down the severity of his affliction when speaking to reporters after the contest.
Postecoglou could not elaborate on Son's issue in his post-game press conference, and the Tottenham boss also admitted that he was without an update when speaking to the club's social media channels on Friday.
© Reuters
"No update there. We'll see how he is, he was a bit sore after the game. We'll wait to see what the outcome is for Sunday, but there's nothing apart from Sonny that looks too significant," Postecoglou said.
While Son is not believed to be nursing a serious problem, Postecoglou is blessed with a like-for-like replacement in the shape of Richarlison, who has made a full recovery from groin surgery and was a second-half substitute against West Ham.
Alejo Veliz and Jamie Donley are also at Postecoglou's disposal in the final third, while midfielder Pape Sarr shook off his recent knock to make a late cameo appearance on Thursday evening.
However, all of Ivan Perisic (knee), Manor Solomon (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), James Maddison (ankle), Micky van de Ven (thigh), Rodrigo Bentancur (ankle), Ashley Phillips (ankle), Eric Dier (groin) and Alfie Whiteman (ankle) remain in the Tottenham treatment room, and none of them will be back until the New Year.
Tottenham's recent decline in form and unenviable fitness concerns have led to suggestions that the club will be active in the January transfer window, with a new winger and centre-back believed to be on the shortlist.
© Reuters
After witnessing his side fail to convert their dominance into multiple goals against West Ham, Postecoglou was asked whether he might pursue a new creative player in the winter transfer window, but the Australian instead outlined his desire to develop the young players at his disposal.
"Well, it is not easy because when you talk about the finished product, you know what that is going to cost in the market and there aren't that many there," football.london quotes Postecoglou as saying in his press conference.
"So, it is about developing young players here and giving them information and more room for them to continue to grow and understand the different options they have in those areas. Some of it is experience of them being in those positions and us giving them new information to execute it better next time."
Tottenham's midweek loss to West Ham also marked the first time in Premier League history that a team has gone 1-0 up in five successive games but not won any of them, as well as seeing Spurs become the first side to lose three consecutive home fixtures in the competition after taking the lead.
Postecoglou's men occupy fifth place in the Premier League table ahead of the visit of Newcastle, who are only one point worse off than the North London club, while sixth-placed Manchester United are behind on goal difference.
Ben Knapton
