Spurs boss Thomas Frank on Richarlison’s improvement and ‘glimpses’ from Xavi Simons | OneFootball

Thomas Frank has praised the Tottenham medical department’s treatment of Richarlison with the forward having played all six of the team’s opening Premier League matches.

The Brazilian missed 45 games for club and country last season through various injuries, the worst of those being a hamstring injury that had him out for 74 days.

The forward has scored three league goals already for the north London side and Frank says the medical staff deserve huge credit for helping Richarlison get back fit.

“I would say I think the medical department has done a top job in terms of building him,” Frank said. “I think it’s quite remarkable that he’s fit, in company with his history.

“We took some good decisions for example in the first friendly we played he was just too short of fitness so he didn’t play the final 45 minutes.

“There’s been times such as when he came back from last international break, where we didn’t start him. We haven’t been forced into games where we had to play him, so I think he’s building an extra layer which is good.”

Xavi Simons is yet to hit the ground running after he was signed from RB Leipzig near the end of the summer transfer window but Frank believes that he will improve.

“We are still working out where he fits exactly in his team and getting those kind of right rhythms and combinations for him,” he said.

“There’s very few players I’ve seen that I can remember just hitting the ground running but I need to see promising signs, I need to see glimpses.

“I need to see oh that was good I need to see three or four good actions each game, there can be a touch, there can be a turn, there can be a pass, there can be a top action where there’s something to build on, which I think I’ve seen so far.”