Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has stated that new signing Lucas Moura is unlikely to feature against Liverpool on Sunday.
The Brazil international arrived at Spurs on transfer deadline day from Paris Saint-Germain, with the North London side shelling out £23 million on the South American winger.
Tottenham head to Merseyside on the back of an impressive 2-0 victory over Manchester United in midweek and as such Pochettino will surely resist the urge to make too many changes to his starting XI.
Asked whether Moura could be involved, the Spurs boss admitted that a lack of regular football at PSG has robbed the Brazilian of match fitness.
“I don’t want to say yes or no, but I don’t believe it’ll be possible for him to be available,” Tottenham manager Pochettino said in a pre-match press conference, as reported by Football London.
On the face of it, Tottenham could certainly use Moura as an impact player from the bench but it will take time for the new man to settle in English football.
Given the presence of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min, Spurs are well served in attacking midfield areas and it would be a surprise if all three did not start against Liverpool.
Although there are more big games coming up over the next fortnight, including the first Champions League clash against Juventus, Tottenham are riding high after the win over United and their main players will want to play again quickly to keep momentum going.
For Moura, in the medium term he looks set to play a significant role for the side, but he will surely be introduced to Spurs action slowly.
As such, the FA Cup fourth round replay against Newport County in midweek looks like the ideal opportunity for the new signing to get an outing in a Tottenham shirt.