Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison is expected to miss up to seven weeks with a hamstring injury, said head coach Thomas Frank.
The Brazil international was taken off during Tottenham’s 2-1 FA Cup third round defeat against Aston Villa on Saturday. While racing Villa defender Ezri Konsa for a ball over the top by Archie Gray, grabbed at his left hamstring before going down on the pitch. He was treated by medical staff before limping off the field.
At his press conference on Thursday, Frank said that the 28-year-old was facing multiple weeks on the sidelines.
“Richy, unfortunately, got a hamstring injury that will keep him out for up to seven weeks,” said the Dane.
Richarlison is Spurs’ latest injury absentee, with Mohamed Kudus and Rodrigo Bentancur out for multiple months, while Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have not feature all season due to long-term knee injuries.
Tottenham have been boosted by the return of Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie to the squad though, while Conor Gallagher arrived at the club on Wednesday in €40million (£34.7m; $46.6m) move from Atletico Madrid.
The Athletic reported on Friday that Spurs had also agreed a deal to sign 19-year-old left-back Souza from Brazilian club Santos and Frank reiterated that the club remains active in the transfer window.
“We need to deal with what we have, but of course, Villa, let me put it that way, brought a little bit more experience and quality on the pitch than we were able to do,” he said. “But hey, it is what it is. We are in the market, as I said many times, to see if we can improve the squad. But it needs to be something that we improve the squad, short and long term.
“It needs to be that decision. It can’t only be for the next four months. We need to think bigger picture as well.”
Tottenham are next in Premier League action against West Ham United on Saturday.
‘A major blow’
Injuries have plagued Richarlison’s time at Tottenham since joining from Everton in 2022, but he appeared to make a significant step forward this term in that respect under Frank. The Brazilian, who started just four times in the Premier League last term having missed 22 league games games through injury, had been available for the entirety of this season before pulling up with a hamstring issue against Villa last Saturday.
Losing Richarlison is undoubtedly a major blow to Frank, who will be without his top goalscorer for an extended period. The return of Dominic Solanke, who came off the bench in the 83rd minute to feature for the first time since August, should help soften the impact, and Randal Kolo Muani stepped into his position impressively last weekend, assisting Wilson Odobert’s second-half goal. Still, losing another forward after the January 2 departure of Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace, is not ideal for a side short on goals.
And for Richarlison, who has desires of making Brazil’s World Cup squad, this injury is an untimely setback as he aims to win back the No 9 shirt under Carlo Ancelotti.