‘Hasn’t got the same sort of hunger’: Pundit says Conte signing just isn’t as determined as £22m Spurs star

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Tony Cascarino has suggested that Richarlison is yet to prove himself at Tottenham Hotspur because he has not got the same hunger as Son Heung-min.

Cascarino was speaking on talkSPORT after Tottenham thrashed Burnley 5-2 at Turf Moor to keep themselves amongst the leaders in the Premier League.

Saturday certainly dented the hopes Richarlison has of being a major success at Tottenham. Ange Postecoglou picked the Brazilian up front in the first few games this season. But with the 26-year-old yet to open his account, the Spurs boss made a change and started with Son Heung-min up front against the Clarets.

The decision was vindicated in some style. Son bagged a hat-trick as Tottenham went on to win in emphatic fashion.

Cascarino says Richarlison doesn’t have the same hunger as Son

Cascarino admitted that he expected Richarlison to be able to do the job for Spurs. But Son has now proved just what it may take to step into the shoes of Harry Kane.

“Sometimes I think it’s quite easy to see a solution when you know that Son can play the centre forward position and you know he can get one on ones quite regularly, because of his movement,” he told talkSPORT.

“You’ve got a great number 10 who can get all the ball and find the pass. This is what I was thinking that Richarlison would do. But he hasn’t got the same sort of hunger as Heung-min Son, because Son likes to get on the shoulder of the defender and he likes to break. He gets lots of one on ones. I can’t think of a player who gets more one on ones than him.”

Of course, tougher tests lie ahead for Tottenham. Burnley have stuck to their principles since sealing promotion. And it does seem like it is going to be a tough campaign for Vincent Kompany’s side.

Son also opened his account with a hat-trick last season. And unfortunately, that proved to be a challenging year for the £22 million South Korean.

But Tottenham are a completely different side this season. Only Brighton have scored more goals in their opening four games. They are creating a raft of chances for each other.

So whoever starts up front is going to get plenty of opportunities. Son was able to make the most of that on Saturday. And the pressure is now very much on Richarlison for when he does return to the starting lineup.