The latest developments regarding Mateus Fernandes may concern some Tottenham fans, although Roberto De Zerbi has played down any suggestions of an injury for the new signing.
According to reports, Fernandes has made a great impression in his first few weeks at Spurs, with many at the club convinced the midfielder can develop into one of the best in the world.
After his absence from training in Sydney earlier this week, there were rumours doing the rounds on social media about a potential injury for the 22-year-old.
However, De Zerbi has confirmed that Fernandes is only being rested due to fatigue in his calf, adding that Tottenham are simply being cautious with the new signing.
Mateus Fernandes and two others miss Tottenham’s latest training session
The Tottenham squad is having an open training session at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney today ahead of their pre-season friendly against Chelsea tomorrow.
It has been confirmed by Alasdair Gold that, as expected, Fernandes is not part of the session, and neither are James Maddison and Yang Min-hyeok.
Gold wrote on X: “Only senior Spurs players I can’t see training here in Sydney among the 22 are Fernandes (expected), Yang and Maddison, while Van de Ven is on an exercise bike below us.”
However, the Portugal international was at the Allianz Stadium, having been spotted taking a stroll on the pitch along with one of the coaches.
Will James Maddison be ready to play at the start of the season?
Maddison has not been involved in any of Tottenham’s pre-season matches so far, and having not trained today, it looks unlikely that he will play against Chelsea either.
It is understandable why Spurs are taking this slow and being cautious with the England international, given that he has hardly played any football over the last 12 months.
However, with the new campaign just three weeks away, it does seem like the attacking midfielder may struggle to be in top condition when the campaign gets underway.