Tottenham icon Gus Poyet has blamed Antonio Conte for Richarlison's poor form in the second half of the season. The Brazilian striker was signed from Everton in a £60million deal but is yet to score a goal in the Premier League this term.
Richarlison enjoyed a strong World Cup campaign for Brazil in Qatar but suffered a hamstring injury which saw him miss a number of games after the tournament. The 25-year-old forward struggled to break back into the starting XI under Conte and publicly criticised the Italian for his lack of game time.
Richarlison has now suffered another problem after injuring his calf during the warm-up ahead of Spurs' 3-3 draw against Southampton, a problem that persisted during his time at Everton. football.london understands though that the belief at Tottenham is that Richarlison is set to return to action sooner rather than later from his latest problem.
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Conte has now been relieved of his duties after Daniel Levy confirmed Tottenham's decision to sack the 53-year-old after just 16 months in charge. Speaking to BettingSites.co.uk, Poyet said: “I think the progress Richarlison made under Conte, right up until the World Cup, was nearly perfect.
"The way that Conte took him to be a possible replacement for Harry Kane when he was not fit, or getting in every now and then in the wide positions, it was perfect. He was getting used to that role, the problem was after the World Cup.
"He’s not playing in the same way or in the same position for Spurs as he was before. Maybe, he thought when he came back he would have more minutes, but I think something has changed.
"But let’s hope he can get back to his best because Spurs need him.”
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