Brazil head coach Dorival Junior has said that Tottenham striker Richarlison is still not 100 per cent and is working his way up to full fitness, which is why he sat out the game against England on Saturday.
Richarlison picked up a knee injury in Tottenham’s loss to Wolves last month and subsequently missed the club’s wins over Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
The striker made his comeback during Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat at Craven Cottage a week and a bit ago, replacing Brennan Johnson on 80 minutes.
The 26-year-old insisted last week that his knee was feeling much better and revealed that he had trained with his international teammates ahead of the clash at Wembley (CGTN Sports Scene).
However, Richarlison was an unused substitute in the game, as was James Maddison for England, with the Selecao emerging 1-0 winners courtesy of an 80th-minute striker by Real Madrid-bound teenage sensation Endrick.
After the game, Junior explained that the Tottenham man is in the midst of a ‘slow’ recovery process and that he did not want to risk him against the Three Lions.
The Brazil boss said (via The Standard): “I didn’t go with Richarlison, who made an enormous effort to get on the pitch, but he has a natural recovery process.
“We are taking all possible care with him so as not to worsen the situation. He is working little by little to get back into better condition, it’s still a bit of a slow process.
“Richarlison was initially ruled out for this game, for the next game we’re going to rethink all of this, it will depend on his evolution.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is good news that the Brazilian set-up decided to look after Richarlison rather than playing himself in a meaningless friendly, especially since the Tottenham man would have been quite keen to be involved. Postecoglou would be hoping the 26-year-old does not start tomorrow against Spain either.
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