Tottenham are without Richarlison for their huge clash against Manchester United this afternoon.
Spurs have made the journey to the red half of Manchester as they look for back-to-back league wins and a first victory on the road.
However, they have done so without the talents of Richarlison.
The Brazilian international has made just two appearances for Ange Postecoglou’s side this year, and you would argue Tottenham are missing his unique abilities.
Unfortunately, he’s currently out with an injury.
Why is Richarlison not playing against Man United?
Richarlison has only appeared for 25 minutes of league action this season.
He was a substitute in Spurs’ two opening games against Leicester and Everton, but he hasn’t been seen since.
The former Toffees striker had to withdraw from international duty in early September when he picked up an unspecified injury.
This problem ruled him out of Spurs’ 2-1 defeat to Newcastle at the end of August.
Since then, Tottenham have also been without new striker Dominic Solanke, leaving Postecoglou’s men short in forward positions.
This injury he’s picked up is strange because Tottenham and Postecoglou have refused to reveal what it is, so we have no real timescale on his return.
But judging by his manager’s most recent comments on the forward, he isn’t going to be back any time soon.
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Speaking about the striker, he said: “He is a fair way off, I think you should stop asking me about him until I give you a bit of an update.
“He has still not trained with the first team, so he is still a bit off.”
Last season, Richarlison and Heung-min Son, who is also missing this game, alternated as Spurs’ main striker, and the Brazilian enjoyed a good campaign.
In 28 Premier League games, he scored 11 goals, which was his best return since swapping Everton for Spurs in the summer of 2022.
Unfortunately, he missed nine games through injury, including the last three matches of the season with a hamstring problem.
This saw him miss the Copa America, and though he briefly returned, he’s now out again and could be unavailable for some time.
