Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison was seen running at Hotspur Way late last week after being ruled out of the Crystal Palace clash.
Although Spurs had to play without Richarlison, they were still able to find the back of the net three times on saturday.
Ange Postecoglou reverted to playing Heung-min Son as the lone striker and opted for Timo Werner on the left wing.
Richarlison injury news
Going into the game on the weekend, Postecoglou announced the 26-year-old striker would play not part after picking up a knee issue.
However, the Brazilian spoke after the game to the media and suggested he could make a shock return for the trip to Villa Park this weekend.
Richarlison was said to be expected to be absent for up to a month, but it seems that may not quite be the case.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold said the striker had been spotted running at Hotspur Way last week despite the diagnosis. He said: ‘I knew he was injured, but I didn’t think it was that bad because I was told that on Friday – either Thursday or Friday – it might have been Thursday, that he was seen doing some running at Hotspur Way. Which yeah, if your knee is awful, you probably don’t put too much pressure on it.’
Richarlison called up to Brazil squad
Although Spurs have said Richarlison could potentially miss four weeks of action, he was still called up to the Brazil national squad.
This came about with the Brazil doctor reportedly saying he is optimistic the injury isn’t as bad as first thought.
Spurs were able to cope without Richarlison on the weekend, but there were some moments when his presence may have saw Spurs win with more comfort.
Werner missed a golden opportunity in the first half, a chance which Son or Richarlison would have likely slotted home.
And against a side like Aston Villa where so much is on the line, Postecoglou will want his strongest possible starting XI.
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