Former Tottenham winger Andros Townsend has played down talk of Everton teammate Richarlison leaving for his old club.

Townsend has rejected the idea that Everton teammate Richarlison joining Tottenham could be considered a step up for the Brazilian.

Speaking to talkSPORT about the chances of the Toffees forward switching Merseyside for north London this summer he said: “I think you're being slightly disrespectful by calling Spurs a step up! I think Everton is one of the biggest clubs in England, one of the most historic clubs, one of the biggest fanbases.

"He's already a hero at Everton for what he's done. He's a fantastic player and towards the end of the season the goals he scored to keep us up.

"We speak about what Frank Lampard did for the team, why the fans did to lift us, but Richarlison came back from injury, scored goals and kept us up. So he's already got hero status at the club… and that's all you're getting from me!"