The wait to see Dejan Kulusevski make his Tottenham return goes on. Unavailable since September's international break after sustaining a hamstring issue on Sweden duty, Antonio Conte confirmed on Friday afternoon that Spurs are going to have wait a bit more time to see him with them once again.
Initially seen as the player missing a game or two due to the issue, Kulusevski has now missed six fixtures and that number is only going to increase ahead of next month's World Cup. There is even the worry for Conte and Spurs that their player might not even be back until after the tournament has come to an end.
His creativity and attacking qualities have been dearly missed in the Tottenham team since the start of the month and now Conte needs to find an alternative option. Already without Richarlison through a calf problem, as well as Lucas Moura not in a position to start games just yet after his injury return, Conte just doesn't have a like-for-like replacement when it comes to Kulusevski.
READ MORE: Every word Antonio Conte said on Kulusevski, January transfer window, Emerson and 3-5-2 tactic
So could that be something Fabio Paratici and Tottenham look for in the January transfer window? That was put to the boss by football.london at his pre-match press conference at Hotspur Way on Friday afternoon.
"Now we have to try to finish this period which for us is really tough. You have important injuries and you have to face the situation in the best possible way. Then we'll see," he said. "We have to arrive until the last game in November and then with the club we’ll see the situation, if we have to do something or we continue in the same way.
"But now I think we have to be focused to do our best, because this period is not easy. For this reason I ask our fans also to stay very close to us, to push us because also it will be really, really difficult against Newcastle on Sunday."
Also stating in the press conference ahead of the Newcastle United game that playing with three midfielders is the best situation at present due to the issues further upfield, it does appear that Tottenham will be sticking with 3-5-2 until their injury problems in attack ease. Bryan Gil is one player Conte could turn to if he wants to operate with three attackers, yet the Spaniard's playing time so far under the head coach hints that won't be the case and he will instead have to make do with minutes here and there unless the Italian springs a major surprise.
A cameo appearance could be all that Gil needs to help convince his boss that he can play a part in attack for this Tottenham side, though. After all, the Spain U21 star did enjoy an eventful five-minute cameo against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League where he won a late penalty after a mazy run and then got himself in a great position in the box to score only for Harry Kane to get his cross all wrong.
Despite that positive showing late on against the German side, game time hasn't come his way since. However, Conte may have no option but to turn to the player if Spurs are in desperate need of trying to get something from a game late on due to the lack of available attackers as things stand.
Not at Kulusevski's attacking level right now, Gil has demonstrated a creative side to his game in the past after contributing with four goals and four assists during his time on loan at Eibar in 2020/21. Nuno Espirito Santo even used him in the No.10 role during Tottenham's Europa Conference League home qualifier against Pacos de Ferreira shortly after his move to the club and he registered an assist after picking out Kane in the box for the opener.
One of the main talking points surrounding the youngster is regarding his physicality and whether he can cope with the intense demands of Premier League football. A sufficient increase in playing time will prove to be whether that is the case or not as judging him on the 85 minutes he has played in the league during his time at Tottenham would be incredibly unfair.
Conte does want players who are ready right now to go into his Tottenham team and Gil needs time to develop and prove that he can be a future star for Tottenham in the Premier League. Game time is going to be vital to that, though, with the Lilywhites boss holding the key.
One chance is all players need sometimes to force their way into the reckoning and that could just all the ex-Sevilla man requires. The perfect opportunity to find a Kulusevski replacement with Richarlison injured and Lucas not there with his fitness, Conte and Paratici may have the perfect alternative already at the club.
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