Conte claims Tottenham ace is ‘improving’ but may still only be on the bench tomorrow

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Lucas Moura is back from injury but Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte still wants to be patient with the Brazilian.

Tottenham have been losing bodies in attack all too regularly of late.

Dejan Kulusevski picked up a hamstring injury on international duty with Sweden and hasn’t played for almost a month now.

That situation was only made worse by Richarlison suffering a calf injury against Everton earlier this month.

Tottenham are struggling going forward right now and Lucas Moura may well be needed for a big role.

Lucas Moura is back from injury

Lucas barely featured in the early stages due to tendon inflammation, leaving him on the sidelines.

Before Richarlison’s injury against Everton the weekend before last, Lucas had played just 12 minutes of Premier League action this season.

The 30-year-old has returned and managed 24 minutes against Newcastle United on Sunday, days after playing eight minutes against Manchester United.

It feels difficult to pin any kind of hopes on a player who has played just 34 minutes of league action this season.

Yet with Richarlison and Kulusevski not imminently close to returning, Lucas may well be needed in a big way soon.

Tottenham’s attack looks off-colour without Kulusevski.

This really has proven that whilst Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are elite footballers they still need a facilitator like Kulusevski.

Tottenham take on Sporting in the Champions League on Wednesday night, so what chance is there for Lucas starting in that one?

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte doesn’t sound too optimistic, it must be said.

Conte told Football London that Lucas is ‘improving’ but he hasn’t been willing to risk his fitness just yet.

Conte added that he will check on Lucas tomorrow morning and judge whether he will be fit enough to start against Sporting.

“Lucas Moura is a player who is recovering from a long issue,” said Conte. “He’s improving but there are moments when you have to take some risks and we will see. I want to check tomorrow morning real situations with injuries. Will wait until tomorrow morning and then check position,” he added.