Richarlison was left on the bench for Brazil’s win over England (AMA/Getty)
Brazil head coach Dorival Junior insists he did not want to risk Richarlison after the Tottenham forward was left on the bench during the 1-0 win against England on Saturday night.
England lost their first match in 21 games at Wembley as Endrick’s second-half goal sealed the victory for Brazil.
Richarlison, meanwhile, returned from a knee injury as a late substitute in Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat to Fulham last Saturday.
The 26-year-old joined up with Brazil’s squad for the international break but he was not brought off the bench during the win against England.
Brazil are now due to play Spain in Madrid on Tuesday evening and Dorival Junior admits he is taking ‘all possible care’ with Richarlison’s knee issue.
Richarlison has only recently returned from a knee injury (Getty)
When asked about Richarlison’s absence after Brazil’s win over England at Wembley, Dorival Junior said: ‘I didn’t go with Richarlison, who made an enormous effort to get on the pitch, but he has a natural recovery process.
‘We are taking all possible care with him so as not to worsen the situation.
‘He is working little by little to get back into better condition , it’s still a bit of a slow process.
‘Richarlison was initially ruled out for this game, for the next game we’re going to rethink all of this, it will depend on his evolution.’
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