Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino glad he decided not to sell Son Heung-min this summer

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino admits Son Heung-min could have left the club this summer but is relieved he held onto him after watching him score twice against Stoke City on Saturday.

Son, who joined the north London club from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, was linked with a return to Germany in recent months, with both Schalke and Wolfsburg credited with interest in the 24-year-old.

After representing his native South Korea at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the attacking midfielder skipped international duty last week, missing his country's 2018 World Cup qualifier in order to stay and train in north London.

He was rewarded with a starting role as Spurs visited the Britannia Stadium and fully repaid his manager's faith with two well taken goals in an impressive 4-0 win.

Speaking after the match, Pochettino did confirm he considered the player's future after the end of the 2015-16 season, but believes his decision to give him another chance has now been vindicated.

When asked about Son's possible exit during the summer window, Pochettino said: "Not only Son, different players. Last season was tough for him and we have to make the decision, in or out," PA report.

"We took the decision for him to stay with us and I'm very pleased now. He had the opportunity to play and show he can help us. We're very pleased for him."

After Saturday's impressive win, Spurs have climbed into fourth in the Premier League table having taken eight points from their opening four games, picking up wins against Stoke and Crystal Palace and draws with Liverpool and Everton.

Pochettino's side begin their Champions League campaign against Monaco at Wembley on Wednesday (15 September).