Mauricio Pochettino has warned new signing Lucas Moura he will have to earn his place in the Tottenham team.
An article on talkSPORT has described Moura, who joined from Paris St Germain for an initial fee of £25million, as being arguably the biggest name to arrive at Spurs since Pochettino took charge in 2014.
The article goes on to describe how PSG splashed £38m to take the Brazilian from Sao Paolo five years ago, as he was considered one of the next young South Americans ready to take Europe by storm.
However his progress stalled in France, more so after the big-money buys of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe last summer, and the article says Moura may not find it easy at his new club either.
It adds how Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen are two Pochettino stalwarts, and, when Tottenham have lined up with three behind Harry Kane this season, it has been largely due to the brilliant form of Son Heung-min.
It goes on to describe how Erik Lamela has found it difficult to regain his place since returning from injury, and Pochettino said Moura too will be given no special preference.
“For him he’s not going to come here, arrive and say, ‘Oh because he is Lucas Moura and came from Paris St Germain, he’s going to play because he is Lucas Moura’,” Pochettino said.”He needs to show that he is better than our players. That is the fair competition. If you are in Paris St Germain and Neymar arrives, if he is better than you then he plays. It’s fair, he’s better.”
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Pochettino continued: “If not, then they need to compete. Lucas Moura must compete with Lamela, with Sonny, with Eriksen.”
It adds that it is unlikely that Moura will make his debut against Liverpool on Sunday given he was still saying his goodbyes in Paris on Friday and the forward will undergo a series of fitness tests, starting on Saturday, and will have to prove his sharpness.
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