Tottenham forward Richarlison is set for a scan to determine the extent of the hamstring injury he suffered with Brazil during the World Cup.
The 25-year-old was a star performer during the early stages in Qatar, scoring three times including a memorable scissor kick against Serbia that has been shortlisted for goal of the tournament.
But his competition ended in frustration as he pulled up late on in a quarter-final defeat to Croatia.
Richarlison has reported back to Spurs and is awaiting a prognosis, while his team-mates prepare to return to Premier League action with a Boxing Day visit to Brentford.
He missed a handful of games prior to the World Cup due to a previous hamstring issue and has yet to open his league account since joining from Everton over the summer.
Antonio Conte said on Tuesday: “For Richy, he’s going to have an MRI to know the importance of the injury. After tomorrow we will see very well the time he needs to recover.”
Richarlison was one of three players to return from the World Cup with fitness concerns, with Wales defender Ben Davies and Uruguay’s Rodrigo Bentancur both forced off during the final game of the group phase.
The outlook is clearer on the latter pair, with Davies ready to go and Bentancur likely to be in contention for New Year’s Day.
“Ben is okay and started to work with us last week. He has recovered. Rodrigo has started to work. I think that he’s going to be good for the game against Aston Villa,” Conte confirmed.
