Conte shares Moura fitness update ahead of Tottenham v Liverpool clash

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has admitted that Lucas Moura was in “really bad” pain yesterday.

Despite this, the Spurs boss is hoping that the 30-year-old can make himself available against Liverpool on Sunday.

Tottenham host Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, with Spurs hoping to keep up with the Premier League’s top two.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are desperate to get back to winning ways in the English top flight.

Moura suffered an injury to his tendon early on in the season.

The ‘formidable’ forward didn’t play again until last month.

However, he has started two Champions League games in a row now.

Although this would suggest that Moura is back to full fitness, both player and manager have said this isn’t the case.

The Brazilian said earlier this week, as per the Daily Mail: “I’m happy because I’m back and I can help the team.

“It’s difficult to get my best form in just a few games but, step by step, I will get there.

“It’s my tendon in the heel. I keep doing the treatment to play and I can play with the pain, that I can manage.

“The most important thing is for me to be on the pitch, doing what I love to do.

“Sometimes but it’s normal for a football player because it’s difficult to play without any pain.

“We are used to playing with injuries.”

‘He was really worried’

Now, Conte has told reporters that Moura is having “different phases” in terms of pain.

And on Friday, it was particularly bad, but the Spurs boss said he still asked Moura to be in the squad on Sunday.

“The problem with Lucas Moura is having different phases in his pain,” BBC Sport quotes Conte as saying.

“Today it was really bad and they said he was really worried for this.

“I asked him to try to be available because we need him.”

Top-level football has always been quite strenuous, particularly for teams that also play in European competition.

But this season, the workload has gone up to a different level, which has taken its toll on players.

Shoehorning a World Cup right in the middle of the season has had a knock-on effect on domestic fixtures.

And we’re now seeing the toll it’s taking on players.

In years and decades to come, perhaps we’ll talk about what folly it was to have a mid-season World Cup.