Tottenham take new blow as Ange Postecoglou confirms Richarlison injury setback

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that striker Richarlison will miss Sunday's clash against Nottingham Forest through injury.

The Brazilian has struggled to recover from a knee injury and has been used sparingly in recent weeks in a bid to overcome the problem.

richarlison He came off the bench in each of Spurs' last three league games but will be rested this weekend to help speed up his recovery.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou allayed fears over Brennan Johnson's fitness by declaring the winger fit for this weekend's visit to his former club.

Johnson, who scored in Tottenham's 1-1 draw at West Ham on Tuesday, was later substituted at the London Stadium and was later seen with a bandaged knee.

“Brennan is fine. There is no problem,” Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“The only one is Richy. He's had a little problem with his knee these last few weeks. We thought it would be best for him to take this weekend off and prepare for Newcastle next.”

The Spurs boss reserved praise for Johnson, who has recently seen an improvement in form.

The 22-year-old came off the bench and recorded two assists in last weekend's 2-1 win over Luton.

His heroics earned him a starting role against West Ham in place of Dejan Kulusevski and he repaid his manager's faith in him by opening the scoring.

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“He has found a bit of confidence, consistency and understanding of our way of playing,” added the Tottenham boss.

“We bought him mainly as a young player with a view to knowing what he will do this year. There’s more to it.”

Spurs face a tough run of fixtures in their quest to qualify for next season's revamped Champions League.

Postecoglou's side face a trip to Newcastle next weekend before a mammoth spell sees them play. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of a week.