Tottenham Hotspur attacker Richarlison has revealed that he will soon go under the knife to address a pelvic injury as Ange Postecoglou's absentee crisis worsens.
The 26-year-old was dropped from the starting lineup for Monday's London derby with Chelsea, where Brennan Johnson was given the nod on the left-hand side in a 4-1 defeat.
As Tottenham went down to nine men with Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie's dismissals, Postecoglou made a raft of defensive substitutions, leaving Richarlison on the bench throughout the 90 minutes.
The former Everton man has endured a challenging time both of and off the field recently, and he revealed in September that he was seeking psychological help after breaking down in tears while playing for Brazil.
Richarlison also has just one goal to show from 10 Premier League games this season, in addition to three assists, but he is now facing a spell on the sidelines ahead of his pubis operation.
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"The last few months haven't been easy for me. I've had health problems. I've already spoken to the doctors and soon I would do surgery on my pubis," Richarlison told ESPN Brasil, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
"I've been suffering, fighting for my national team and my club for eight months and haven't been taking care of myself. I think it's time to rest, to stop for a second. I'll think about it in the next few days and soon I will do what is best for me."
The attacker was also snubbed by Brazil boss Fernando Diniz as he missed out on a call-up for November's fixtures with Colombia and Argentina, although he believes that a break will do him the world of good.
"I was sad when I was not called up but I understand Deniz," Richarlison added. "In his place, I wouldn't call me up either — I haven't been playing good football, I've been below my best.
"I have to be playing. I have to be feeling well, I have to be 100 per cent and I haven't been, I think the manager made the right choice. Every player wants to be called up for the national team. Of course, I was hoping for it but already felt that it was time for a rest."
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Tottenham had already emerged from their loss to Chelsea with an alarming four new concerns to contend with, as Micky van de Ven and James Maddison both went off injured in first-half injury time.
Van de Ven went down in agony with an apparent hamstring problem, and Postecoglou has admitted that his injury looks to be severe, while Maddison's ankle problem will need assessing in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Udogie and Romero will now serve suspensions owing to their red cards on Monday, with the former - who was ejected for two bookable challenges on Raheem Sterling - set to miss this weekend's trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Before Udogie's sending off, Romero was banished in the first half for an awful penalty-box challenge on compatriot Enzo Fernandez, and the Argentina centre-back will also sit out meetings with Aston Villa and champions Manchester City during a three-game suspension.
Manor Solomon, Ryan Sessegnon, Ivan Perisic and Alfie Whiteman are all recovering from surgery too, while Ben Davies was not in the squad to face Chelsea following a blow to the ankle but should be in contention for Saturday's clash with Wolves.
