Richarlison has been making the best use of his time after being frozen out of the Tottenham Hotspur first-team squad following a series of failed transfer moves in the summer.

The Brazilian striker failed to secure a move away from Spurs after expressing his desire to Roberto De Zerbi to leave the club. He is not part of Tottenham’s Premier League squad and is ineligible to feature until the FA Cup begins in January, following the club’s early elimination from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Liverpool last month.

However, that has not stopped the 29-year-old from being involved in match action, as Richarlison featured for Spurs’ Under-21 side in their EFL Trophy clash against Cheltenham Town earlier this week. He scored in the 2-2 draw against Cheltenham Town before converting a penalty kick in the 7-6 penalty shootout loss.

Duncan Ferguson slams Roberto De Zerbi for Richarlison treatment

Richarlison has not played for Roberto De Zerbi’s side since their 3-0 defeat to Brentford in August. De Zerbi’s decision to omit the Brazilian forward from his squad has not gone down well in some quarters of the fanbase and media.

Duncan Ferguson is the latest man to criticise the Italian tactician for his treatment of the forward. The Everton legend, who worked with Richarlison during his spell as interim boss at Goodison Park, insisted that De Zerbi needed to put an arm around the player’s shoulder and reintegrate him into the first-team squad.

“I don’t know what the manager at Tottenham’s done. I don’t know if they’ve had a massive fall-out, and knowing Richy (Richarlison) they probably have, but you’ve got to put your arm around him and say, ‘Come on, Richy,’ and get him back in,” Duncan Ferguson said on an Overlap Daily episode.

“You don’t leave a player like that out (of the squad) unless there’s been a real murder: he’s chinned him, or there’s been a proper scrap on the training ground. Richarlison’s a good player, and Tottenham are not that great, are they? It’s all hands-on deck. You need all your assets out there. The manager knows what he’s doing, he’s on the ground, but Richarlison’s a great player and I enjoyed working with him.”

Richarlison’s relationship with Tottenham completely broken

Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed at the start of the month that Richarlison’s relationship with Tottenham has “completely broken down”. The forward’s time in North London is over, and a January exit is fully expected.

Building up match sharpness remains the single most important objective for Richarlison now as he attempts to keep himself fit ahead of a potential departure in January. And the good thing is clubs are already circling for the ex-Everton star.

Galatasaray and Trabzonspor have been showing interest in the South American, working behind the scenes over a winter move. In a bid to move Richarlison off their books and get some fee, Spurs are ready to accept as little as €10m.