Son Heung-min is doubtful for Tottenham's match against Watford on Saturday after playing in the “war-like” World Cup qualifier in North Korea on Tuesday.
The South Korea forward was not expected back until Thursday, leaving him with just one day's training before the visit of the Premier League's bottom club.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is unlikely to start Son, with Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura and Dele Alli all fresh after the international break and Christian Eriksen also available.
The first competitive meeting between South Korea and their neighbours — who are technically still at war — hosted in Pyongyang ended 0-0 in front of watching FIFA president Gianni Infantino but in an otherwise empty stadium, almost completely blocked off from the outside world.
As well as no supporters, there were also no foreign media or broadcasters in attendance.
“The match was very aggressive — it's a huge achievement just to return safely without being injured,” said Son, who captained South Korea and completed 90 minutes.
Although details of the match are difficult to establish, Choi Young-il, the vice-president of the Korea Football Association, described it as “like war”, adding: “I've never seen such [aggression] in football.”
South Korean players had to travel to Pyongyang via Beijing and they were not allowed to use their mobile phones during their stay in the North.
“I liked it because I got to sleep a lot,” added Son, who also questioned the quality of the pitch.
With Tottenham on the verge of crisis following defeats to Colchester, Bayern Munich and Brighton in their past four games, they badly need to get back on track against struggling Watford.