Mathys Tel thrown into the Tottenham deep end after latest Richarlison setback | OneFootball

Major pressure on teenager as Spurs fight to save season

The whole of Anfield knew it at almost the same moment as Richarlison.

As the Tottenham forward dropped to the turf and pounded the pitch in frustration, it was not only obvious that his Carabao Cup semi-final was over but that he had likely suffered another muscle injury. Ange Postecoglou has since confirmed as much.

"Obviously he was emotional because he worked really hard to get himself back but again, it's another setback that he's going to have to deal with, we're going to have to deal with and hopefully get him back as soon as possible," Postecoglou said the morning after his side's 4-0 defeat to Liverpool.

A suspected calf strain is Richarlison's third injury of the season and the second time he has broken down shortly after returning to action.

He first suffered an unspecified problem in the 4-0 win over Everton in August, returning two months later but managing just five appearances – only one of which was from the start – before pulling up with a hamstring strain in the win over Aston Villa.

Blow: Richarlison came off injured against Liverpool

AP

Richarlison's latest comeback lasted seven games, including five consecutive starts, all of which have come in a 24-day period since he returned to action from the bench against Arsenal on January 15.

There will inevitably be questions about whether Postecoglou and the club could have been more cautious with him but, given Dominic Solanke suffered a knee injury after the Arsenal game, the Australian will feel he had little choice but to persist with his only other senior striker.

Increasingly, however, Richarlison's suitability for Postecoglou's high-intensity pressing football is in doubt, leaving Spurs with a problem.

Last summer, the club were open to offloading the £60million signing amid interest from Saudi Arabia, which would have freed up funds and a space in the squad for a more durable replacement.

Now though, few clubs – even in Saudi – are likely to risk signing a player with a recent history of suffering muscle injuries every five to seven appearances, leaving Spurs needing to find a way to manage the Brazil international.

The upshot to Richarlison joining Solanke on the sidelines is that deadline-day signing Mathys Tel, who replaced him at Anfield, will likely have to lead the line in Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Aston Villa – now an enormous game in Spurs' season.

Tel has decribed himself as "between a No9 and a left-winger" but sources close to the teenager have claimed he wants to prove himself as a centre-forward and was particularly frustrated at the lack of opportunities up front at parent club Bayern Munich, where Harry Kane rarely misses a game.

The Frenchman set up Spurs' only chance of note on Thursday night with a crisp pass for Heung-min Son, who rifled an effort off the crossbar, but it was otherwise a tough debut for Tel, who was easily handled by Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.

It is far too early to make any sort of judgment call on Tel's suitability for specific roles in the Premier League but, on the basis of his showing against Liverpool, he looks physically more in the mould of a winger than a No9 who can occupy English defences, as Solanke and Richarlison do when fit.

Postecoglou could scarcely have been more effusive about Tel this week, using his pre-press conference before Liverpool to talk-up the 19-year-old's quality and expand on his own role in persuading him to join Spurs during a phone call and exchange of messages lasting "a couple of hours".

Tel, though, is 19 and has just nine top-flight starts to his name. For all his talent, he has to be considered as a future investment, first and foremost.

Almost immediately, however, Tel has become a crucial part of the club's present given the significance of the Villa game, which Spurs must win to ensure their season does not hinge entirely on further progress in the Europe.

Postecoglou did not reveal what he had said to Tel to convince him to join Spurs but it is easy to imagine the head coach emphasised that they were still in with a shot of winning three competitions this term, which could turn a difficult season into an historic campaign.

Fail to beat Villa, however, and Spurs' chances of glory this year will have been reduced to the Europa League within a week of Tel joining the club.

With Richarlison back on the injury list and Postecoglou and his players under pressure to respond to the drubbing at Liverpool, Tel will have no time to ease himself gently into life at Spurs.