Richarlison is facing another extended period on the sidelines after suffering a 'significant' hamstring injury, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou says.
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Richarlison out for a 'significant amount of time'Brazilian had just returned from two-month layoffRicharlison picked up injury in 4-1 win over Aston VillaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Brazilian was subbed on early in the second half of Tottenham's comeback win over Aston Villa last weekend and assisted Dominic Solanke's second goal to give Spurs a 3-1 lead. However, after creating the goal he looked in obvious discomfort, and was taken off by Postecoglou straight away.
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The game against Villa was Richarlison's fourth in a sequence of substitute appearances which were meant to bring him back to full fitness after suffering an injury in August.
Having played half-hour stints against Manchester City in the League Cup and Crystal Palace in the league, as well as completing a full hour in which he scored against AZ Alkmaar, this cameo appearance seemed to be no different, with Postecoglou making a concerted effort to reintegrate him to the side slowly.
However, this latest blow has left both Postecoglou and the Brazilian striker frustrated. Richarlison has taken part in just 12 competitive matches since March due to various injury layoffs, and he is now set to sit out another lengthy period.
WHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID
Speaking in his Friday press conference, the Spurs boss said: "He's very disappointed. I said in the lead [up to the Aston Villa game] we tried to take a different approach. He worked awfully hard on his rehab but also his general fitness. He'd really trimmed down in terms of conditioning. He was doing everything right, we eased him back into playing, we didn't want to overload him. And unfortunately he broke down."
The Australian added: "I'm reticent to put [a time on] it, but he'll be out for a significant amount of time. It's a significant hamstring injury."
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR RICHARLISON AND TOTTENHAM?
Richarlison will now be focusing on his recovery and rehab, and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future as Tottenham enter a key run of fixtures.
After facing Ipswich this weekend, Spurs travel to face Manchester City in their first game after the international break, before that host Roma in a crunch Europa League clash.
At least the international break provides a two-week window for Richarlison to make strides towards regaining full fitness.