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Cape Town - Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli admits in-form team-mate Son Heung-min will be a sorely missed when he departs for the Asian Cup next Sunday.
The tournament, which is being hosted by the United Arab Emirates, kicked off on Saturday, and Son's team, South Korea, will play their opening game on Monday.
However, Spurs were able to negotiate with South Korea's football association to allow the forward to stay in England for a bit longer before linking up with the national squad.
It was certainly a smart move from Spurs, with the games coming thick and fast in the first two weeks of 2019 and Son scoring goals for fun in recent weeks.
"Sonny leaving any team would be a great miss because he's a great player," Alli told reporters. "But, at the same time, we've got players that have been working hard and are ready to come in.
"He is obviously in great form and it will be sad to see him go but he will be back, and we just keep going.
"Lucas [Moura] is a fantastic player as well, or whoever the manager decides to put in.
"I think seeing him [Son] every day in training, playing with him in games, you can see the quality he has.
"He's an unbelievable player with both feet, and he has an eye for goals and can produce magic out of nothing.
"So, no one is really surprised to see him in this form because he is a fantastic player and has amazing qualities."
Son has scored seven goals in his last six appearances in all competitions while also bagging five assists.
