Leg injury sidelines Tottenham forward Son through January

LONDON (AP) — Tottenham forward Son Heung-min will likely be sidelined until the end of the month because of a leg injury, manager Antonio Conte said Friday.

The South Korea international leads the team with eight Premier League goals this season with sixth-place Tottenham challenging for a Champions League spot.

Son had a scan after feeling “a bit of pain in his muscle” the morning after Tottenham’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea in a League Cup match on Wednesday, Conte said.

The manager said Son won’t train before the international window in the last week of January.

Tottenham hosts third-tier Morecambe on Sunday in the third round of the FA Cup. That’s followed by the second leg of the League Cup semifinal against Chelsea next week.

Conte’s team then plays three Premier League games — Arsenal, Leicester and Chelsea — before the international break.

Son’s absence could increase pressure on Tottenham to bolster its squad in the current transfer window.

“We have two ways to improve the situation, no? One is to improve the players that we have in our squad. Another opportunity could be to improve the quality of the squad but as you know very well, January is not easy for anyone,” said Conte, who was hired in early November.