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Tottenham duo Heung-min Son and Steven Bergwijn permitted to travel home during coronavirus shutdown

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Tottenham's injured forwards Heung-min Son and Steven Bergwijn have returned to their homelands to spend time with family during football's coronavirus shutdown.

The Premier League is suspended until at least April 30 but the British government has advised against all but essential nationwide and overseas travel.

Son, who is recovering from a fractured arm suffered at Aston Villa in mid-February, arrived in Seoul on Sunday and will spend 14 days in quarantine in line with South Korean government guidelines.

The forward has already spent two weeks in self-isolation in the UK after returning from South Korea at the end of February, having travelled home for surgery.

Son was tested for Covid-19 on arrival in Seoul and will be required to report his health status to the South Korean authorities every day for two weeks after arrival by phone or through a mobile app.

Spurs said Son would use his time in quarantine to continue rehab on his broken right arm before spending the lockdown with family. He was initially expected to return to action next month.

Four weeks ago, South Korea was one of the countries worst-hit by coronavirus, but it has followed a similar trajectory to China, with relatively few numbers of confirmed cases per day since mid-March.

Bergwijn, who is suffering from a twisted ankle, has also been given permission to travel back to the Netherlands for the impending birth of his first child.

The forward has been sidelined since the 1-1 draw at Burnley on March 7 and was expected to miss the remainder of the season before professional football was suspended a week later.

The Netherlands is on a similar lockdown to the UK, with the majority of public spaces closed and gatherings banned until at least June 1.

A Spurs statement read: "The Club has given permission for both Heung-Min Son and Steven Bergwijn to return to their home countries.

"Sonny has flown back to South Korea for personal reasons, while Steven has travelled to the Netherlands ahead of the impending birth of his child.

"Both players will continue their individual rehabilitation and training programmes during their time away."

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