Tottenham Hotspur gem Bryan Gil could yet make a late statement to make Spain's squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar...

Son setback

The north London outfit managed to top their Champions League group in midweek by defeating Marseille, thanks to midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's last-minute winner at the Stade Velodrome but it came at a worrying cost.

Heung-min Son picked up a nasty and concerning facial injury, one that has now ruled him out of Spurs' remaining games before the domestic break, including this afternoon's Premier League clash with Liverpool. He is now in a race against time to be available for South Korea at the tournament.

According to the Telegraph, the 29-year-old underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured eye socket but he has only two weeks to recover before the World Cup kicks off with the host nation playing Ecuador on November 20.

Gil's golden chance

Son isn't going to be the only Lilywhites star at the World Cup.

England skipper Harry Kane, Argentina colossus Cristian Romero, the aforementioned Denmark monster and France no.1 Hugo Lloris are just a few other players set to feature in the greatest international competition there is to play in.

One player who would've been targeting a breakthrough at the tournament but is very much a major doubt is Gil, who has already picked up four senior caps in Luiz Enrique's tenure.

The 2020 summer Olympics silver medalist and UEFA Nations League runner-up is surely a potential surprise wildcard for the La Roja boss given their poor attacking options.

They are no longer the Spain they once were and whilst they still head into the tournament amongst the European favourites, a likely frontline containing Chelsea flop Alvaro Morata, one-cap Betis star Borja Iglesias and an injury-hit Ansu Fati.

So with a spot opening up in Spurs' attack, due to the big blow to Son, the 21-year-old dynamo - who was once dubbed as a "big talent" by talent scout Jacek Kulig - could make a late run at making the 2010 World Cup winners' squad, if manager Antonio Conte opts to unleash him - something he has rarely done.

He may now have to as Dejan Kulusevski has been injured for the past few weeks, Richarlison is unavailable too and there are also doubts over the fitness of Lucas Moura, as per football.london.

Tottenham paid Sevilla £21.6m for the young 5 foot 9 winger, also including Erik Lamela in the deal, but he has been restricted to only 25 appearances in a Lilywhites shirt, of which five have come this season.

It was the dynamism and pace of Gil that saw the Spanish starlet win his side a penalty in their 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt back in early October and it's exactly those qualities that both Conte and Enrique can benefit from this month, and heading into 2023.

At one point in his career, the £40k-per-week hotshot, who has played only 47 minutes this term, was compared to Neymar - another player set to light up the World Cup this winter.

"[Gil] is right now the best player in Spain and I compare him with Neymar," once claimed FC Barcelona scout German Vaya Ballabriga (via football.london). "He is so versatile, he can play at full-back, through the middle, on the left wing. He's impressive."

That versatility adds another element to both Spurs and Spain as he could emerge as a plug-and-play option for either side, and his "creative" qualities and "livewire" presence makes him a huge threat on any given day.

Gil could be the "game-changer" - in the words of Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir - that Spurs need, in the absence of Son, against a team like Liverpool and if he delivers, then Enrique will surely be keeping a watchful eye heading into his squad announcement next week.

Conte must now unleash the 21-year-old Spaniard this afternoon.

AND in other news, Forget Emerson: Conte must ditch Spurs liability vs Liverpool, he's an "accident waiting to happen"...