Lucas Moura believes Son Heung-min's barren spell for Tottenham was "bothering him a lot" but insists the South Korean's influence extends far beyond his goals.
Son failed to find the net in Spurs' opening six Premier League matches of the season before hitting a hat-trick as a substitute against Leicester City before the international break.
Prior to that, Son was disappointed with his impact in the team and made no secret of his frustration, saying that until his treble he felt he had been disappointing his colleagues.
"It's on him. 'Letting the team down' is a very strong phrase. I don't particularly analyse the goals or only the numbers, I see what the guy contributes to the team during the 90 minutes," Moura said.
"Even a striker can contribute a lot throughout the game and not score any goals or do any assists. Son is a very dynamic guy, he bothers the opposing defender a lot, he's always running, he's always moving behind the defender's back and that opens up a lot of space for the other attackers.
"So, he is a very important guy even when he doesn't score. Of course, there is this personal pressure on him, he puts a lot of pressure on himself.
"We end up feeling that, because we see how much he wanted to score a goal, how much he wanted to score the first time this season, and we end up trying to help even more. But he's a very important guy for the team even when he doesn't score."
Any concern regarding Son's impact in front of goal has decreased following his flurry against Leicester, which left Moura delighted for his team-mate.
"I was very happy for him. Talking about him off the pitch, he's amazing, a great friend that football gave me, loved by everyone," Moura told Stats Perform.
"On the pitch, I don't even need to talk about his quality. We know that for a guy like him who is used to scoring goals, staying a few games without scoring goals is difficult, the pressure comes, the press comments, the buzz of the crowd, and I believe it was bothering him a lot.
"And he felt relieved with three goals, three amazing goals in all his qualities, in his characteristic. He is a fundamental player for the team, a guy who really makes a difference, and I hope he continues like that now, scoring goals every game to help us."
Son breaking his duck against Leicester may be of concern to Arsenal before Saturday's north London derby, with the 30-year-old having managed four goals and two assists in his last five games against the Gunners.
Man City striker compared to Haaland 'can be best in the world', says team-mate
Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw has already prompted comparisons to Erling Haaland for her goalscoring exploits, and a Manchester City team-mate believes she can be the world's best player.
Jamaica striker Shaw has scored 26 goals in 23 games in all competitions for City this season, including 15 in 15 in the Women's Super League.
The 26-year-old has averaged a goal every 86 minutes in the league – not quite on par with men's star Haaland, who has scored every 76 minutes in the Premier League, but close enough for onlookers to note the similarities.
City manager Gareth Taylor did not shy away from comparisons between the "pretty remarkable" pair last week, explaining how both are "so mentally strong".
It is that quality that might yet make Shaw the world's best, with England defender Alex Greenwood backing her City colleague.
"I'm not surprised she's doing what she is doing, and she still has so many levels to go to, which is quite frightening to be honest," Greenwood told BBC Sport.
"I think she can be the best in the world if she wants to be. She has all the attributes to be the best in the world.
"I know how hard she works in training. It's the reason she's flourishing right now.
"She's been really strong for us, so we just need to keep feeding her, keep giving her the ball, and the rest she'll take care of."
Pulisic taking confidence from record USA away display
Christian Pulisic believes the United States can take confidence from setting a record for away goals as they thumped Grenada.
In winning 7-1 on Friday in the CONCACAF Nations League, it was the first time they had scored seven goals in a match taking place outside the US.
It was USA's first competitive match since the World Cup, with Ricardo Pepi and Weston McKennie each scoring twice.
Chelsea star Pulisic also got on the scoresheet, and had a hand in four other goals too.
"We came out really strong with a lot of energy and just kind of put with them right away," Pulisic said.
"So I think they were kind of surprised by that. Took our goals well and just a great all-around performance. Definitely gives us confidence."
The game was also the first time USA played a competitive match without using a single MLS player since the league began in 1996.
Interim coach Anthony Hudson was impressed by what he saw from his team, but urged them to finish the job as they bid to reach the Nations League final four.
USA are top of their group ahead of hosting El Salvador on Monday at Exploria Stadium in Florida.
Hudson said: "With a [good] performance and a result like this, you don't want to get carried away.
"The importance for us is just to make sure that we do all the right things between now and the next game and we finish the job off.
"But the actual performance, I thought it was the result of just a really, really good week."
Rumour Has It: Nagelsmann open to Tottenham talks
Julian Nagelsmann was sensationally sacked as Bayern Munich boss on Friday and replaced almost immediately by Thomas Tuchel.
The 35-year-old German had guided the Bavarians to last season's Bundesliga title.
And Bayern have looked good in reaching the Champions League quarter-finals this term.
Nagelsmann previously led RB Leipzig, guiding the side to the Champions League and the 2021 DFB-Pokal final, before moving to Bayern in 2021.
TOP STORY – SPURS MAKE MOVE FOR NAGELSMANN
Sky Sports claims Julian Nagelsmann is open to Tottenham's advances as they seek talks following his dismissal as Bayern Munich boss.
Spurs may be in the market for a new manager with uncertainty over Antonio Conte's future. Football Insider claims Nagelsmann is Spurs' number one priority if Conte departs.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was also considering Nagelsmann in 2019 when he replaced Mauricio Pochettino with Jose Mourinho.
ROUND UP
- Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are all circling for PSV midfielder Ibrahima Sangare, reports 90min. According to the report, the player's representatives have spoken to several Premier League clubs and he could be available for around £32million.
- Manchester United have joined the race for Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic , who is being courted by Manchester City and Liverpool, according to Football.London.
- 90min claims Newcastle United have held talks with Marcus Thuram's representatives about a free agent move from Borussia Monchengladbach in the offseason. Thuram has already declared he will leave Gladbach when he contract expires at the end of the season, with Inter among a host of clubs interested.
- Chelsea are interested in signing ex-Leeds United man Raphinha from Barcelona, claims journalist Simon Phillips. The Blaugrana may be forced to sell players due to financial fair play regulations.
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