‘I haven’t seen before’: BBC pundit says £22m Tottenham player looks different now Harry Kane has left

Garth Crooks has suggested that Son Heung-min really appears to have stepped up his game as a leader since Harry Kane left Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, following his display in the North London derby.

Crooks was speaking on BBC Sport after Ange Postecoglou’s side earned a point from their trip to the Emirates on Sunday.

Son Heung-min scored both of Tottenham’s goals, with James Maddison setting up both of the strikes for the captain.

Son Tottenham — Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The first was a moment of class as he deflected Maddison’s cross into the bottom corner. Meanwhile, the second was all about composure as he beat David Raya after Maddison stole the ball off of Jorginho.

Crooks lauds Son after Tottenham draw North London derby

Son now has five goals for the Premier League season. And he is already halfway to matching his tally from the entirety of last year. It is a superb return to form for the 31-year-old.

Certainly, Crooks believes that Son has relished the additional responsibility since Kane left the club for Bayern Munich in the summer.

“This was an impressive Tottenham performance against their north London rivals. To go behind twice away at Emirates Stadium having had the most shocking penalty decision awarded against you takes some steel and Son displayed plenty of it,” he told BBC Sport.

“Since the departure of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, I detect a maturity in Son’s game I haven’t seen before – I also see a better team player this season. Both of Tottenham’s goals were brilliantly taken by Son.”

It would be fascinating to see what this Tottenham side could do with Kane leading the line. But it says everything about how good they have been that there is even a debate over whether they are better without the England captain.

Of course, it is impossible to know whether that is the case. But there is absolutely no doubt that the likes of Son and Maddison have been electric in the early stages of the season.

Son is relishing the chance to lead the line – as the £22 million man often did whenever he got the opportunity before Kane left. And he is clearly enjoying captaining the current team which continues to capture the imagination under Ange Postecoglou.