Bentancur ready to face 'old teammate' Son Heung-min: 'We all know how great he is'

Rodrigo Bentancur, who played alongside Son Heung-min at Tottenham Hotspur, will now face his former teammate from the other side — wearing the Uruguay national team jersey.

South Korea and Uruguay meet Monday at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium in a national team friendly.

Speaking at a press conference at the stadium on Sunday, the day before the match, Bentancur said he was looking forward to the reunion. "I'm excited to see Son again on the pitch after such a long time," he said, adding that the two had not yet been in touch.

Bentancur joined Tottenham ahead of the 2021-22 season and played alongside Son until Son left last year to join Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer, sending the two down separate paths.

Monday's match puts them on opposite sides. As a defensive midfielder, Bentancur is likely to be tasked with keeping Son — the focal point of South Korea's attack — in check.

"Even without spelling it out, everyone in our squad knows just how great a player Son is," Bentancur said. "The most important thing is to prepare well so that he does not score against us."

Bentancur also had warm words for South Korean fans. "I have visited Korea personally on several occasions — with the under-20 side, the senior national team and also in a Tottenham shirt," he said. "Korean fans have always cheered me on and shown me a lot of personal support, and I am always grateful for that. I want to put in a good performance to repay them."

Uruguay are led by caretaker coach Diego Forlan, a club legend who scored 36 goals in 112 appearances for the national team during his playing career. Forlan was appointed interim manager last August. Uruguay came into the South Korea match on the back of a 1-3 loss to Japan in their previous friendly.

"South Korea and Japan are national teams that have developed significantly on the international stage in recent years," Forlan said. "The players' quality is very high. I expect another tough match tomorrow."

He added that he had faced South Korea as a player and knew what to expect. "Korean players were difficult to play against because of their tempo, intensity and physicality," he said. "More of them are playing in Europe now too. The pressure is on both sides, so we will prepare well."

On the pressures of serving as caretaker, Forlan said the weight of the job was the same regardless of the title. "Whether you are permanent or interim, managing a national team comes with pressure," he said. "With a team that has the history and tradition of Uruguay, every match carries that burden."

After the Uruguay match, South Korea will play one more friendly, against Venezuela at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on Friday.