Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has revealed that Dejan Kulusevski is still a doubt for Wednesday's Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Juventus loanee is yet to feature this month after picking up a hamstring injury during the international break, missing Tottenham's last five games in all competitions.
Kulusevski had taken part in partial training before last week's win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, but he has since suffered a setback and was ruled out of Saturday's triumph against Everton.
Conte told reporters prior to beating Everton that Kulusevski was going to be an uncertainty for the trip to Old Trafford, and the Italian is not prepared to risk the Sweden international for midweek if he is not 100% recovered.
"Kulusevski is working. We are going day by day with him. I don't know about the game against Manchester United, the doctors are working with him," football.london quotes Conte as saying in Monday's press conference.
"It's the same injury [hamstring]. The medical department are working to recover him but at the same time there are situations that you have to go a bit slowly and not accelerate the process.
© Reuters
"Sometimes if you do that you worsen the situation. We hope to have him in the squad very soon. Deki is an important player for us and Richy [Richarlison] is an important player for us."
Richarlison started alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min against former club Everton with Kulusevski sidelined, but the Brazilian then suffered a calf injury and had to be taken off after 50 minutes.
The attacker left the stadium on crutches, sparking fears that he could potentially miss the 2022 World Cup, but Conte has confirmed that Richarlison - who is ruled out of Wednesday's game - will be fine to go to Qatar.
"No, absolutely not. I can confirm this. The player is not risking missing the World Cup. Absolutely not," Conte added. "The injury about Richarlison he is doing a scan, an MRI and then we'll see how long he needs to recover. For sure against United he is not available.
"It's an injury but not so serious. A problem in his calf. He needs a bit of time to recover and then to be fit. I hope for him to play other games with us before the World Cup but for sure the injury is not so serious."
Richarlison and Kulusevski's injuries have led to the expectation that Yves Bissouma will come into a 3-5-2 formation for Wednesday's game, leaving Kane and Son to hold the fort up front.
© Reuters
However, Conte has said that he is keen to maintain a 3-4-3 shape, with Lucas Moura, Ivan Perisic and Bryan Gil all providing alternative options in the final third.
"Lucas Moura can, yeah, be a possibility, Gil can be a possibility, Perisic like in a three like a striker is a possibility. I have another training session to make the best decision," Conte explained.
"You know we like to play with a 3-4-3 with the three strikers and if we can't change, I prefer to continue to play with the 3-4-3 otherwise we find a solution. I think we have the possibility to continue to play with the 3-4-3."
Conte was also asked about his contract situation in North London, with his current deal due to expire in at the end of the season, but he was in no mood to discuss his future.
"My contract in this moment is not important. The most important thing is to prepare for the game and this period of games. I have to speak to the club and we'll speak about this situation and find the best solution for everybody," the 53-year-old said.
Spurs can overtake Manchester City into second place with victory at Old Trafford, where Kane will be aiming to set a new club record by scoring in a sixth successive Premier League game.
Ben Knapton
