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Postecoglou confirms Tottenham star is ‘ready to start’ vs Manchester United in the Europa League final

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated May 17, 2025 12:48 PM ET

Son Heung-min earned valuable minutes at Villa Park ahead of the Europa League final vs Manchester United

Tottenham Hotspur travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Friday evening and returned home empty-handed, losing the game 2-0.

Ezri Konsa opened the scoring for Aston Villa in the 59th minute, before Boubacar Kamara doubled the advantage in the 73rd minute to secure the three points. The result marked Spurs’ 21st defeat of the Premier League season.

The North Londoners have nothing left to play in the Premier League, and with all focus on the UEFA Europa League final against Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21, Ange Postecoglou made plenty of changes to his starting XI vs Villa. As key players such as James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski have been ruled out for the remaining games due to injuries, Ange Postecoglou was cautious with his team selection and rested some of his key players in this game.

A few of them needed game time in their legs ahead of the European final. Son Heung-min was among them as he only returned from a foot injury against Crystal Palace at home last Sunday. The Spurs skipper had to sit out seven games, affecting his physical fitness levels and match sharpness.

The South Korean forward started on the left flank in a 4-2-3-1 system, joining Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore in attack. He completed 74 minutes on the night. When asked about whether Son Heung-min will be ready to start against Man United in the Europa League final, Ange told Football London:

“Well he’s ready and he’s available. He started today. They’re all ready to start so I think him playing 70-75 minutes today was important and you could see he opened up a couple of times and I think he’s feeling… it’s as much about Sonny himself, and feeling that he’s getting back into a rhythm and I think there were moments tonight where he showed that.”

Indeed, Son showed glimpses of his ability in the first half against Villa. There were a few instances where the 32-year-old threatened the hosts with his burst of pace and directness, only lacking the end product in the final third. He faded in the second half and was rightly substituted before the 75th minute.

Getting minutes in the tank was vital for Son, who will want to make up for an underwhelming season as per his high standards with a sizzling display in the Europa League final. If there is a player who genuinely deserves to win the European trophy after committing his entire career at Tottenham, it is none other than Son.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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