Injured Brazil forward Richarlison faces World Cup race

Richarlison faces a race to be fit for the World Cup after suffering a calf injury in Tottenham's win against Everton on Saturday.

The Brazil international was tearful as he admitted his “dream” of playing in Qatar was now in serious jeopardy.

The forward was forced off in the 52nd minute of Tottenham's 2-0 win in the Premier League and was later seen on crutches.

“It’s kind of hard to say because it’s close to the realization of my dream,” Richarlison told ESPN Brazil. “I’ve already suffered a similar injury to this but I hope it can heal as soon as possible.

“The last time when I was at Everton, I was out of action for about two months."

Richarlison was expected to be part of Brazil head coach Tite's squad for the World Cup, which will be named at the beginning of November.

“For sure against Manchester United he’s out (on Wednesday),” Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said. “I think he needs a bit of time to recover. It’s a pity because we are talking about a player who gives us a lot of quality, but is also strong and improves our intensity."

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson