Son Heung-min will never be the star of this Tottenham team. He does not have that blanket name recognition of Harry Kane, the media ubiquity of Dele Alli or the gilded suitors of Christian Eriksen. Other players are better known, better paid, better covered, simply seen as being more important to Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs.

Perhaps that is to do with Son’s personality, his humility, or his nationality: the fact that England internationals playing for an English team are always going to get more headlines than anyone else.

But to watch Spurs at all this season is to realise that Son has an attacking importance equal to anyone else. No one else makes the runs that he does. No one is nearly as quick as him. Only Harry Kane can match his clinical efficiency in front of goal. There were times in the past when Son felt like a fall-back, an option, a wildcard for Spurs. Now he is an indispensable part of the machine, a perfect Pochettino pupil who carries out his instructions as well as anyone. That was true when Son destroyed Chelsea here in November, when he led the charge at Goodison Park, or in the evisceration of Bournemouth on Boxing Day.

But it has never been truer than this week, when Son raced back from crushing disappointment in the Asian Cup to effectively win two games for Spurs. He was expected to be playing the final in Abu Dhabi this Friday, but South Korea lost their quarter-final to Qatar last week. So Son flew straight back and was training in Enfield the next day. He only had to do three days before Pochettino started him against Watford, when he gave 90 minutes and scored the crucial equaliser that turned the game.

After that game Pochettino said he did not know whether Son would be able to start on Saturday against Newcastle but he passed his fitness test, impressing the medical and sport science staff. And he was just as good against Newcastle, running and running and running and then finally breaking through with his powerful shot with eight minutes left.

Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Tottenham vs Newcastle: Player ratings We run the rule over the two teams. Getty Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Hugo Lloris - 6 out of 10 A relatively quiet afternoon although was left completely rooted by Salomon Rondon's second-half header. Fine late save to deny Ayoze Perez. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Davinson Sanchez - 6 An impressive performance. Involved in a real physical battle with Salomon Rondon but held firm. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Toby Alderweireld - 6 Largely untroubled and made some important blocks, but allowed Salomon Rondon to get ahead of him for his second-half chance. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Jan Vertonghen - 7 Great performance at left back. Whipped in plenty of fine crosses. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Kieran Trippier - 6 An improved performance from the defender, who spent most of the afternoon on the attack. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Harry Winks - 6 So composed in possession. No player on the pitch made as many passes. AFP/Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Moussa Sissoko - 4 How crucial the former Newcastle man has become to Tottenham's style of play. But he struggled here and is clearly still working his way back to full fitness. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Heung-Min Son - 8 Tottenham's main main in the absence of Harry Kane and delivered with his late goal. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Christian Eriksen - 5 Desperately unlucky to see a fine flick acrobatically cleared off the line. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Lucas Moura - 4 Poor early miss from point blank range. Struggled to get on the end of any of Tottenham's crosses. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Erik Lamela - 5 Hit the bar in the first-half with a good header. Put one on a plate for Lucas Morua early doors. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Martin Dubravka - 4 Was having a fine game until the goal. Will be so disappointed with how he allowed Heung-Min Son's low shot to skid under his body. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Deandre Yedlin - 7 The former Spurs man did well, whipping in the cross which Salomon Rondon came so close to converting. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Fabian Schar - 6 Made a simply sensational clearance to prevent Christian Eriksen's dainty flick from going over the line. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Jamaal Lascelles - 6 Was never troubled by Lucas Moura and stood up well to Fernando Llorente in the second-half. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Florian Lejeune - 6 Made a couple of crucial interceptions. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Matt Ritchie - 7 No player on the pitch made more interceptions than Ritchie (4). A tireless performance running up and down the wing. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Ayoze Perez - 6 Worked hard and came very close to opening the scoring with a fine curling shot, which was well saved by Hugo Lloris. AFP/Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Sean Longstaff - 6 Thrown in at the deep end once again but impressed with a tigerish performance in the middle of the park. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Isaac Hayden - 6 Came close to leaving Newcastle this week but did his defensive duties well here. AFP/Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Christian Atsu - 7 Didn't have too many chances to show what he can do with the ball at his feet, but lively throughout. Getty Images Jack Pitt-Brooke’s Tottenham vs Newcastle player ratings Salomon Rondon - 7 His physical battle with Davinson Sanchez was one of the game's key subplots. Hit the bar with a looping header and was a handle throughout. Getty Images

Had Son not flown back last weekend from the UAE, it is certainly questionable whether Spurs would have won either of these games. But they won both, and are still very much in the title race. Pochettino spoke at length about Son afterwards, and two things stood out.

The first was the physical energy of Son, the willingness to keep running for as long as his body would let him. It would not have been easy coming back into competition after returning from the Asian Cup but he did it. Pochettino said he was an example to everyone else.

“He works so hard, always pushing, never gives up. He will try try try try try. He’s like in his effort with and without the ball, he’s very regular and consistent and that is most important.”

Pochettino compared him to a battery that would run and run until it was empty. “Sonny is like when you have a battery, you work work work work and then the battery is gone. He is like this, he gives you everything and when he’s exhausted he says ‘I need to change’ or needs to rest. He’s like this. Always on the pitch he’s 100 per cent in every action without or without the ball. That is the most important thing, it’s a very good example for everyone, watching him play.”

But if football was just about running then teams would sign long-distance runners. The point about Son is the intelligence that directs his energy. Defensive pressing to stop the opposition. Incisive runs in possession. Anticipatory runs off the ball. Able to follow the Pochettino playbook, or to intuit when he has to. That is why he is now so important to this team, because he is the gameplan in action on the pitch.

“Of course after the first season he understood what we expected of him. If you see him now, he’s one of the players who is always moving on the pitch, trying to get the best position in defensive and offensive situations. Always giving options to team-mates, running forward, dropping and then arriving from the second line. He is a very complete player today and we are so happy with his performance.”

Had Son not flown back last weekend from the UAE, it is certainly questionable whether Spurs would have won their last two games (Reuters)

Sometimes there is an assumption in football that distance covered is proof of a hard-working player. But the reality is that most reasonably fit people could run 12km or 13km in 90 minutes if they had to. The point with Son is the capacity to sprint and sprint again, to make the clever, difficult, thankless runs, and to repeat and repeat and repeat until it comes off. This is what it means to take responsibility, and this is where humility and leadership intersect. Because with Son there is no one to do the hard yards like him.