Thomas Frank has blamed fixture congestion for Richarlison’s injury.
Thomas Frank has urged football authorities to investigate mounting injury problems across the Premier League after Tottenham forward Richarlison suffered a suspected hamstring injury during Saturday’s 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa.
Richarlison lasted just 31 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before pulling up and clutching the back of his left leg. The Brazilian was immediately replaced by Randal Kolo Muani, adding to Spurs’ already lengthy injury list that includes Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Frank lamented the relentless festive fixture schedule and called for authorities to examine the impact on player welfare.
The Danish manager faces a nervous wait to discover the extent of Richarlison’s latest setback, with the striker having missed significant portions of each of the last three seasons with hamstring problems. Frank said, in a 116-word rant (h/t football.london):
“Yeah, it could look like that. I think we’ve done a lot of things right to get him where he is now. I think he’s done a lot of things right. It’s not only about us, it’s about every club. I think there’s a few injuries across the Premier League. I think it’s something for the football authorities to look into as well.”
“We played five games in 13 days, four in ten. One of the few clubs who did that. This is our third time this season. That’s the most tricky thing with two days in between. We’re dealing with it. We’re doing everything we can to compete in it, but that’s a tough schedule.”
Richarlison has scored eight goals and provided three assists in 31 appearances this season, emerging as Tottenham’s most reliable attacking threat. His absence places enormous pressure on Dominic Solanke, who made his first appearance since August as an 83rd-minute substitute against Villa after recovering from an ankle injury.
Frank must now hope Richarlison’s injury is not as serious as feared while preparing his team for next Saturday’s Premier League fixture against West Ham United. The manager faces difficult decisions about squad rotation and player workload management as he attempts to navigate Tottenham through this challenging period.
