Tottenham Hotspur attacker Richarlison is in contention to make his comeback from a calf injury in Wednesday's EFL Cup third-round clash with Nottingham Forest.
The Brazil international has been on the sidelines since sustaining the problem against former club Everton on October 15, leaving the stadium on crutches.
There were immediate fears that Richarlison could have been forced to miss the World Cup with his injury, which has seen him sit out Tottenham's last six games in all competitions.
However, the 25-year-old has been selected for Brazil's squad for the 2022 World Cup, and national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirmed to Globo Esporte that he should be in contention to play for Tottenham before the tournament.
"Last week we visited Richarlison and [Lucas] Paqueta in London to see the evolution of his injury," Lasmar said. "We are confident that Richarlison can be fully available to Tite.
© Reuters
"Our assessment is that he had a really big improvement, this week he should train with the group and he has a chance to be used by the club before the presentation."
Antonio Conte's assistant manager Cristian Stellini addressed the media ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup opener, and he revealed that Richarlison was back in training and available for the match.
"Richarlison is back in training, He's an available player but thinking he only has had two days training," Stellini told reporters, as quoted by football.london.
Richarlison has amassed two goals and three assists in 13 games for Tottenham since making the move from Everton, although he is yet to score in the Premier League for his new club.
Son Heung-min is still absent after undergoing eye surgery, while Dejan Kulusevski returned from a hamstring injury off the bench in the weekend's defeat to Liverpool.
Stellini has continued to urge caution over the Swedish attacker, adding: "We lose him from the last international break. We can't say that he can play 90 minutes because it's a long time injury. We have to be careful with him."
© Reuters
Lucas Moura has also been dealing with tendon problems throughout the campaign, and he experienced pain in training before managing to make himself available for the contest.
Tottenham are expected to rotate heavily for the EFL Cup clash, which could potentially allow ever-present Harry Kane some respite amid his strong start to the season.
The England captain has scored 12 goals in 20 games so far this term, playing the full 90 in all but one of them, and Stellini refused to give anything away when asked if he would line up from the start tomorrow.
"About tomorrow, the decision Antonio will take tomorrow. It's too short to analyse what type of energy the players will have for tomorrow's game. He will speak tomorrow to all of the players to see who is ready. It's an important game," Stellini added.
Tottenham will take on Leeds United on Saturday in their final Premier League game before the World Cup, where Richarlison's Brazil will face off against Serbia, Cameroon and Switzerland in Group G.
No Data Analysis info
