Tottenham star Lucas Moura has marked his return from injury with a delightful close-range finish for Spurs' Under-21 team in their North London Derby against Arsenal. The Brazilian attacker has not played for the club since the 4-3 Premier League win over Leeds before the World Cup commenced in November.
A tendon injury has been plaguing the 30-year-old for much of the 2022/23 season which has seen him feature for only 266 minutes this season. However, Tottenham confirmed he would be taking a significant step towards recovery by taking part in Spurs' U21 fixture against Arsenal on Friday evening.
Amario Cozier-Duberry put the Gunners ahead after just 20 minutes, but Lucas cancelled out that early goal with an equaliser just six minutes later. A cross arrived from the right and making a late surge into the box, Lucas was able to meet the ball perfectly on the volley to level the game at Meadow Park.
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Despite his absence, the future of Lucas was discussed by Antonio Conte after it was understood that the final year of the five-year deal he signed in 2019 required activating by December 31, but the option was not triggered by the club and now the player will depart come the end of the season.
"You know this is a decision of the club and for sure this season is a difficult season for Lucas but at the same time for us," Conte told football.london in his pre-match press conference at Hotspur Way. "Honestly, in my mind when we planned the season Lucas was an important player for us.
"But if you see from he start of the season until now Lucas played maybe one game, also with pain in the Champions League against Marseille and also not the whole game with us. First of all I think the damage is for me and the team. A player like Lucas is a good player. Also last season he helped us reach the Champions League.
"In my mind, my plan was to have him in my squad but we didn’t have possibility to use him because of the injuries. It was really difficult this season especially because it happened twice that Kulusevski and Richarlison were both injured. To face this wasn’t easy. Then if you ask about the decision of the club, I respect the decision of the club."
The Italian will be hopeful that Lucas can play a part in the remainder of the season and his goal against Arsenal in his return will undoubtedly be a huge boost to Conte that his sharpness remains.
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