Brazil forward Richarlison fears his World Cup dream could be wrecked by a calf injury sustained in Tottenham Hotspur‘s 2-0 win over Evertonon Saturday.
The 25-year-old was pictured on crutches and in tears having been forced off 52 minutes into Saturday’s Premier League game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)
Spurs head coach Antonio Conte immediately ruled the striker out of Wednesday’s trip to Manchester United and he will now undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury with the World Cup finals in Qatar just over a month away.
Speaking to ESPN Brasil after the match, Richarlison said: “It’s kind of hard to say because it’s close to the realization of my dream [the World Cup]. I’ve already suffered a similar injury to this but I hope it can heal as soon as possible.
“The last time when I was at Everton, I was out of action for about two months.
“I know it’s hard to talk at this moment, but let’s see, I’ll recover. I have a scan on Monday but even walking hurts. I have to stay positive if I want to go to Qatar.
“It’s all so close, it’s about a month to go, and we’ve been getting ready, working every day so that nothing serious can happen. Unfortunately, today I had this calf injury, but now it’s just a matter of waiting, doing the treatment every day so that I can recover as soon as possible.”
Conte added on the situation: “For sure, for Manchester United, he is out. He felt something in his calf and he won’t be available for the game against United. I think he needs a bit of time to recover.
“It is a pity because we are talking about a player who give us a lot of quality but at the same time also he is strong. He improves our intensity.”
Spurs also have doubts over Dejan Kulusevski, who has not played since Sept. 17 due to a thigh problem. Tottenham have nine matches to play before the Premier League breaks on Nov. 13 and Conte added: “The problem that Kulusevski has, he needs time to recover.
“Fingers crossed for the next games because we have to play many, many games in a short period. If you have the squad penalised with injuries, it becomes a bit difficult. But today we showed we are ready to overcome every difficulty.”