Heung-min Son has admitted he found his debut season at Tottenham "tough" after struggling to hold down a regular place in Mauricio Pochettino's starting line up.

Son joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen last summer but made just 13 Premier League starts during his debut season in the Premier League.

The 24-year-old wanted to leave White Hart Lane in the summer but eventually decided to stay and fight for his future at the club after holding discussions with Pochettino.

The South Korea international has started to feel the benefits of such a decision, having produced a string of impressive performance in recent weeks, the latest of which saw him collect the Man of the Match trophy after Sunday's 1-0 win over Sunderland.

But Son has conceded he has found it difficult to adjust to spending time on the bench: "Last season was tough for me," he told the club's official website.

"It was a long time to sit on the bench. This is football. Sometimes I have to sit on the bench and sometimes I play.

"We are one team. Everyone has to be ready and everyone has to fight for the others.

"Last season was tough but this season - I hope - getting better," he added.

Son has started all three of Tottenham's games since he returned from the Rio Olympics and appears to have forced his way back into 'Pochettino's good books.'

Son is a well-liked member of Tottenham's squad and Jan Vertonghen is adamant everybody in N17 is delighted to see him contribute to the cause.

"Sonny is a great player and an even better person - he’s someone who always works hard, wants to play well and wants to be the best guy on the pitch," said the Belgian.

"There’s almost no-one who deserves it more than him so everyone in the dressing room is very happy for him.”