Lucas Moura has added to Tottenham’s injury problems by revealing he is having to play through the pain barrier.
Tottenham forward Moura, 30, has endured a difficult start to the season and is nursing a tendon problem in his heel which has affected his form and limited his appearances. That is another worry for Spurs boss Antonio Conte who is facing major issues with his forward line with Heung-Min Son, Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski all on the casualty list.
South Korea star Son is a major doubt for the World Cup as he needs surgery on a fracture near his left eye while Richarlison and Kulusevski have also been missing but are closing in on returns. But it could still mean Harry Kane is potentially Tottenham’s only fully fit striker ahead of Sunday’s clash with Liverpool and Moura admits the hectic schedule plus high level games in the Champions League and Premier League must have an effect.
Moura, who has started just two games this season, said: “It’s normal for a football player because it’s difficult to play without any pain. We are used to playing with injuries and that’s football.
“It’s my tendon in the heel. But I keep doing the treatment to play and I can play with the pain, that I can manage. The most important thing is for me to be on the pitch, doing what I love to do.”
When asked whether all the injuries were coming at the same time, Moura went on: “It certainly feels like this with all the strikers. But this is football, you need to have everyone ready to come in and help and my injury now is getting better, every game I am feeling better.
“It’s difficult to find the right answer but it’s high level, it’s Premier League, Champions League and the intensity is so high so it’s normal to have some injuries so we need to know how to cope with it and to carry on working.
“I’m happy because now I’m back, I can help the team and of course it’s difficult to get my best form in just a few games.”
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Son will be hoping that the surgery settles his injury down and that it is more to his face, near to the eye and will not impact upon the eye socket otherwise that could make the World Cup an impossibility.
But Tottenham also face a tough run of games now without key players as they entertain Liverpool, Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup and then their final Premier League game is against Leeds.
Moura added: “Before the break, we need to do the best as possible. The first objective was to qualify for the Champions League knock-out and now we need to stay up in the table in the Premier League.
“There are three more games, all of them important, we need to get as much as possible then rest and then come back stronger.
“Liverpool is always a special game, amazing game to play, at home so we will prepare well for this game and I hope to get three points.”
