Heung-min Son has revealed that his face mask impairs his vision but that he still wears it for one bizarre reason.
In November, the Tottenham winger fractured his eye socket in a Champions League game against Marseille. At the time he was a major doubt for the World Cup but after a successful surgery, he was declared fit and ready for action.
But he had to wear a face mask in order to prevent any further damage to his eye. Son has now revealed that the mask impairs his vision and he struggles to see the ball.
“Obviously, it’s not the same as when I play without the mask.” He told The Standard.
“My vision is still okay, but when the ball is coming to me, it’s sometimes annoying, because I can’t see the ball because of the mask. It’s not really bothering me, but it’s not the best.
“Against Villa, I was really frustrated, because I received the ball and then suddenly I lost the ball, because I couldn’t see it. I was just angry.”
The 30-year-old then revealed that the only reason he is still wearing it is to keep his parents happy.
“If I’m alone, obviously, I would play without the mask, but my parents, my family, my friends watching back in South Korea are all worried. Obviously, it’s a risk if someone hits me again.
“They [my parents] didn’t say you should wear it or whatever, but we were having dinner [after the Villa game] and they said, ‘Um, what happened with the mask?’
“Obviously, they’re worried. And also the physios and doctors said after the Villa game, ‘It’s your decision, but we recommend you should still be wearing the mask’, because the risk is still high, because it’s just seven weeks since the operation.”