Son faking it is scold news

JOSE MOURINHO’S spat with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took a new twist when it came to light Heung-min Son used to fake injury in order to stop his dad “scolding” him.

Manchester United manager Solskjaer accused Son of conning the referee during Sunday’s 3-1 win at Spurs using similar tactics.

He claimed the South Korean made the most of a foul by Scott Mctominay to get a United goal disallowed, saying: “If my son stays down for three minutes he won’t get any food.”

Tottenham boss Mourinho responded by saying Son is “lucky his father is a better person than Ole”.

But Son’s brother Heung-yoon revealed the forward used to pretend to be injured to avoid being punished by their father Woong-jung (inset with his sons).

Speaking to the makers of the Amazon Prime documentary “Sonsational” released earlier this year, Heung-yoon recalled: “We had different ways of dealing with dad. I had more attitude and would get punished for it. “But Heung-min was cheekier. He acted like he’s hurt before dad punished him. “He would roll on the ground before dad hit him, so I got scolded a lot more.

“We would have 10 to 20ish balls on the ground at training. “He kicked them towards us as if he was shooting. “Once an old lady who was passing by tried to call the police because we were being brutally scolded.”

Son pointed out the discrepancy he felt when dad committed one of the minor technical faults for which the boys were regularly punished.

He said: “I still remember saying dad is lucky he does not get scolded when he makes mistakes. That’s how frightened I was of my dad. I was so frightened to make a mistake.”

Dad himself said in the film: “My approach was a regime – people thought I was Sonny’s stepfather, I was so harsh on him.”

Nevertheless, the pair remain close and Woong-jung, a former South Korea B international, still puts his global superstar son through his paces at the Tottenham training ground in extra sessions when the rest of the players have gone home.

Controversial or not, the strategy has served the family well in taking them from relative poverty in the city of Chuncheon.

“Father was a strict teacher, he would punish me or yell at me if I’ve done wrong,” said Son. “But that strictness had a strong influence on me.

“He is my soccer senior, my soccer friend, my soccer teacher. A really good father.”