Tottenham forward Richarlison has admitted he could have returned from injury before the international break but decided against it alongside his medical team.
Gazeta Esportiva cover comments from the Brazilian today as he looks to get back into the Tottenham team after a frustrated start to the season.
The 27-year-old has only managed three Premier League appearances totalling 34 minutes so far this season after an unknown injury picked up at the end of August saw him miss nine games and spend 53 days on the treatment table.
It continued a frustrating few months of injuries for the Brazilian, who missed 65 days between May and July with a hamstring injury and also suffered from two knee injuries and had to undergo groin surgery last season.
He had looked like he was ready to kick on last season as he enjoyed a sustained run under Ange Postecoglou but was curtailed by injuries, something he’s now hoping to leave in the past after deciding to hold back his latest return.
“I felt good, it was a little dull, I hadn’t been in for a while. It’s normal, now I have to keep working hard,” he said after the win over West Ham.
“I’ve worked hard these months, now it’s time to recover my football. Tomorrow (Sunday) there’s training, I hope to play a few more minutes on Thursday.
“We could come back before the FIFA Date, we got together, together with my physio who came from Brazil, so we preferred to wait a little. We chose to train more. Now, I’m prepared, I managed to recover well, thank God, Everything went well.”