Richarlison picks up European injury, to be assessed ahead of Everton clash
Tottenham Hotspur are in an anxious wait over the fitness of Brazilian Richarlison ahead of their game against Everton on Saturday (15 October).
The 25-year-old was forced off in the Champions League against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday (12 October) and will now have to be assessed to see if he can face the side that sold him for £60million in the summer.
Spurs manager Antonio Conte is keeping his fingers firmly crossed that Richarlison can play some part in the contest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with Dejan Kulusevski also on the treatment table at the moment.
“He played a good game and then had a problem with his knee. I hope it’s nothing serious for Saturday’s game against Everton,” Conte said, as quoted by Ben Dinnery on Twitter.
Spurs are currently hot on the heels of Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League while Frank Lampard’s Toffees slipped to 12th after being beaten 2-1 by Manchester United.
Relief
If there is anybody that knows how good Richarlison can be on his day, then it’s Lampard and his Everton squad who saw him almost single-handedly drag them to safety last season with his goals.
The boss would have loved him to stay at Goodison Park for the new era and campaign but he equally couldn’t begrudge someone who has been such a consistently good performer for several years a big move elsewhere.
If the Brazilian international is unable to play any part against Everton, Lampard and company will breathe a massive sigh of relief knowing that they only have to worry about two dangerous attackers rather than three.
Having said that, Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are arguably the most potent duo in the Premier League and ergo the world and they are going to take a lot of stopping.
Thankfully for Everton, they have two defenders in Conor Coady and James Tarkowski who just love defending and they will relish the challenge of stopping Conte’s juggernaut.