Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji has admitted Tottenham Hotspur captain Heung-min Son does something no other footballer can do.
The 2023/24 campaign is now in the books for Tottenham with a fifth-placed finish marking Ange Postecoglou‘s first season at the club.
Improvement was seen throughout compared to the previous season despite a lot of change being undertaken over the summer.
The loss of Harry Kane meant Heung-min Son was going into the campaign with a huge amount of responsibility on his shoulders to step up as the leader.
That is exactly what the South Korean did. No player was ever going to replace the number of goals which Kane offered but 17 goals in the Premier League for Son went a long way at Tottenham.
And it is apparent the 31-year-old has earned the respect of others around the league for what he has done over the years at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Manchester City’s Akanji is one of those with the Swiss defender admitting how impressed he is with something Son does.
What Manuel Akanji has said about Heung-min Son
Despite carrying the burden of needing to replace the goals left behind by Kane, Son has provided Spurs with one of his best seasons yet.
The South Korean netted 17 goals in the Premier League and provided 10 assists which has only been bettered in his 2021/22 season where he won the Golden Boot with 23 goals.
It is perhaps the range of goals which Son can score which is most impressive with the South Korean being able to finish from close and far range with either foot.
And that is something which the Manchester City defender has picked up on during his two years at the Etihad Stadium.
READ MORE: Tottenham captain Son Heung-min’s fascinating life outside of football including military service
Speaking to the Premier League, the Swiss defender admitted there is only Son who he has played against that can finish just as good on his weak foot.
“Most of the time you try, for example, if it’s close to the goal, you don’t want to let him shoot on his strong foot because every player shoots better on his strong foot than his weak foot,” he said when asked how to defend in a one-on-one situation.
“Expect maybe Heung-min Son. But normally, you try to use your strength and try and guide them on to their weak side,” he added.
Heung-min Son’s impressive record against Manchester City
Over the years, Son has proven to be a real thorn in City’s side with the South Korean having provided some huge goals for Spurs against them.
Even without Kane in the side, Spurs have taken some massive results from Pep Guardiola’s side in recent years and it has been largely down to the current Spurs captain.
| Heung-min Son vs City | Total |
| Games played | 19 |
| Games won | 9 |
| Goals | 8 |
| Assists | 4 |
Statistics via Transfermarkt.
This is why it was so surprising to see Son miss the golden opportunity he was handed earlier in the month to equalise against City.
After the game, the Spurs captain admitted that even he is human as he left Guardiola stunned on the sideline at the miss.
“I’m also human. The keeper made a really good decision and made himself really big,” he said after the game.
“But I take the responsibility not to score that big chance for the team, because the team was working really hard and trying to get a good result.”
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