Tottenham star Son apologises for missing start of Premier League to play in Asian Games

Tottenham star Son Heung-min has apologised for potentially missing the first month of Spurs' season to play for South Korea in the Asian Games. 

The Asian Games begin on August 14, three days after Spurs begin their Premier League campaign against Newcastle. 

Should defending champions South Korea reach the final on September 1, Son could miss Tottenham's next three games, against Fulham, Manchester United and Watford.

The 26-year-old has expressed his regret that he won't be present for the beginning of Tottenham's 2018-19 campaign. 

"I should obviously say sorry," Son told Goal. "I'll be away from the team for quite some time, so I want to say sorry to the manager and my teammates. 

"I'm sure my teammates will be able to fill the void sufficiently, but I still feel sorry about having to leave the team during the season.

"So it's obviously important for me to prepare myself to sacrifice for the team as soon as I return [from the Asian Games]."

Son recently signed a contract extension at Spurs through 2023, and he expressed his gratitude for the club continuing to show faith in his abilities. 

"I'm extremely grateful to the club," Son continued. "Tottenham are the club that gave me the opportunity to take my first step into the Premier League.

"I'm thankful to them for creating a great environment for me. They made a good offer to me, so I was able to sign the extension.

"The club expressed that they really respect me, so I signed the contract extension without having to put too much thought into it.

"Fans have congratulated me for signing the contract extension, but it's actually me who should thank the club, our manager and my teammates."

Son joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and has become a vital part of the club's success, scoring 26 league goals over the past two seasons.