Richarlison scores for Tottenham under-21s in Jersey Mike’s Trophy tie at Cheltenham

Tottenham forward Richarlison scored for the club’s under-21s at Cheltenham in a Jersey Mike’s (EFL) Trophy tie on Tuesday night. The Brazil international, 29, finished a first-time effort during the contest.

Richarlison has not featured for Spurs’ senior side since the opening-day defeat at Brentford on 22 August after being left out of the 25-man Premier League squad list and told he was not part of first-team plans for this season. Failed moves to Trabzonspor and Vasco da Gama, and talks with Everton that collapsed in the final days before the transfer window in England shut, left him in limbo for the first half of the campaign.

He made a surprise appearance in the Cheltenham tie and played for Wayne Burnett’s side, helping the game finish 2-2 before the hosts won a 7-6 penalty shootout. Richarlison converted a spot-kick in the shootout.

The Cheltenham manager, Steve Cotterill, as quoted by Gloucestershire Live, said: “We weren’t expecting it, but it was good. When I found out he was on the team sheet, I was actually chuffed with that. I was really pleased. It gives our lads a glimpse of what it’s like at that top level.

“To be fair to him, with a lot of talk about our lads playing against him, Richarlison’s attitude was immaculate tonight. He was really, really good and his attitude was great. He could have easily come down here and thought: ‘I am not too bothered about tonight.’ We had a decent crowd here, but he’s used to playing in front of 60,000 every week – when he gets picked anyway! It was great for our lads to play against someone of his stature. It’s good and I really enjoyed tonight.”

After his goal, Tottenham’s academy players joined Richarlison in performing his pigeon celebration. He later posted on Instagram: “Happy to do what I love the most in life. I was missing it!”

Roberto De Zerbi and the rest of the Spurs squad are in Marbella for warm weather training.