Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed it’s likely that attacker Lucas Moura will be ruled out of contention for the weekend clash against Liverpool.
Spurs travel to Anfield on Sunday afternoon for a Premier League fixture as the top four rivals face off.
The north London club won 4-1 in emphatic fashion during the last meeting and Jurgen Klopp’s side will be hoping for some revenge.
Pochettino has revealed in his pre-match press conference the January signing Moura is unlikely to be ready in time for the weekend.
The 25-year-old right-winger arrived at Spurs on deadline day from Paris Saint-Germain and may have to wait before making his debut.
“Today he’s in Paris doing private things. We hope tomorrow he can stay & start to work with the team. I don’t want to say yes or no, but I don’t believe it will be possible for him to be available [against Liverpool],” Pochettino said, as quoted by ESPN journalist Ben Pearce on his official Twitter account.
#thfc Pochettino on Moura: "Today he’s in Paris doing private things. We hope tomorrow he can stay & start to work with the team. I don’t want to say yes or no, but I don’t believe it will be possible for him to be available [against Liverpool].”
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) February 2, 2018
OPINION
Moura looks unlikely to be included against Liverpool and bringing the Brazilian into a match of that magnitude may not be the smartest of moves anyway. The electric wide man will need time to adjust to English football and a midweek clash in the FA Cup against Newport County just days later could be a great opportunity for him. Spurs’ front four is currently very settled as Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son take up the positions. Moura has shown in the past with PSG that he can perform at an elite level, but will need time to force his way into Pochettino’s XI.