Lucas Moura unlikely to make his Tottenham debut against Liverpool, says Mauricio Pochettino

Moura has been working with the club’s sports science department since his £25 million deadline day transfer from Paris Saint Germain

Mauricio Pochettino was speaking ahead of Tottenham's game against Liverpool (Getty)

Lucas Moura is unlikely to make his Tottenham debut against Liverpool this Sunday due to a lack of match fitness.

Lucas has been working with the club’s sports science department since his £25 million deadline day transfer from Paris Saint Germain, as he tries to accustom himself to Tottenham’s physical level, having not started a game for PSG since last May.

The arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have severely limited Lucas' game time this season: just 79 minutes spread across six substitute appearances. And manager Mauricio Pochettino warned Tottenham fans against expecting an immediate impact. “Maybe he needs to work a little bit alone,” Pochettino said.

“Will he play on Sunday? I don’t believe it will be possible. Six or seven months with no play, it is difficult. Like when you are injured, and it is not easy to reach the same level of the group.”

Pochettino seemed curiously keen on playing down the significance of Lucas' signing, claiming he did not want to “add too much pressure” to the Brazilian on his arrival. “We signed a player that is not playing at PSG,” he insisted.

“We signed a player who has not competed for six or seven months. Of course for our fans it is an exciting name. And he came from a big club. But it is different to if you sign Neymar or Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

“My expectation is that the player can help us. But we cannot put too much pressure on him. He needs to adapt, he needs to know the Premier League, the philosophy of the new team, and there are plenty of examples here at the club - Son, Sissoko, Lamela - that they need time. A lot of players with a lot of of quality struggled to adapt themselves in six months. It is not a signing that if he doesn’t score goals from the beginning, it is a mistake. That is why we need to be calm.”

Still, Pochettino insisted that Lucas would be a valuable asset once he was up to speed, offering much-needed pace in the final third and most importantly an extra attacking option with Tottenham still fighting in three competitions. “He can bring different qualities to the squad,” he said. “He is young, but with a lot of experience.

“He’s fast and he can run forward, and he can fit with the team perfectly. For us it’s very helpful to have him. We hope his adaptation will be fast and quick. But it is not going to change our principles. He is going to make the effort to adapt to our philosophy, and I think he is a player that can adapt completely.”


 Lucas Moura may have to wait for his Tottenham debut 
 (Getty)

Serge Aurier and Harry Winks have returned to full training ahead of the Liverpool game, with Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld also progressing well from their long-term injuries, even if Pochettino was still reluctant to put a firm date on their return.

“We are very close to have all the squad fully fit, and I think that is very good news for us,” Pochettino said. “We have a very important period ahead.”