Heung-min Son says he has texted Andre Gomes to apologise and promised to work harder than ever as a show of “respect” to the Everton midfielder.
Son scored twice in Tottenham's 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade last night, three days after his late tackle left Gomes with a fracture-dislocation to his right ankle and needing surgery.
The South Korean marked his first goal by holding his hands together, seemingly in apology, and afterwards, he told Standard Sport: “I just texted him to say best wishes to you, I'm really sorry for you, your family and your team-mates. He texted me back but I haven't read it yet. I still feel really bad.
“Football is a sport where something [like this] can happen, [but] nobody wants to see this. I'm so sad this happened and that I was involved. It's been a tough few days.
“Of course, Gomes got the injury, but people around me sent me really strong messages. My team-mates, fans, even from South Korea and Everton fans as well.
“I'm really grateful for all the messages. I want to pay them back on the pitch. That's all I can do. I want to respect him [Gomes] as well, and this is how I show respect, by working harder.”
Gomes, meanwhile, has thanked fans for their support in a video posted on his Twitter account last night.
The 26-year-old Portugal international is recovering at home after undergoing successful surgery and said: “Everything went well and I am already at home with my family. I would like to thank you all for the supportive messages.”