Mauricio Pochettino claims Heung-min Son would no longer be at Tottenham had he not pushed for the South Korean to be cleared for Asian Games duty in 2018.
The forward had committed to a new contract with Spurs shortly before being called up for the crucial international event.
Son and his compatriots had been assured that they would be spared mandatory 21-month military service if they claimed gold medal glory at the Asian Games.