Conte says Lucas Moura is not ready to start for Tottenham vs Newcastle

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has claimed that Lucas Moura is still not ready to start a game after returning to the squad from his injury.

The Brazilian is one of Tottenham’s most experienced players having played over 200 games for Spurs since joining them all the way back in January 2018. He’s a fine player on his day, but Conte isn’t convinced he’s fully fit.

Conte says Tottenham star Lucas Moura is not ready to start

Lucas was never going to be the first choice at Tottenham this season with Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison both ahead of him in the pecking order on the right wing.

However, the two 2022 Tottenham signings have been out with injuries, which meant that the 30-year-old was the man Conte would turn to.

Sadly, Lucas, who is ‘unplayable‘ on his day, has had his own injury problems this season. A calf issue has limited him to just 24 minutes of football in all competitions since the start of this campaign, which is really disappointing.

The Brazilian is back with the squad now and with Richarlison and Kulusevski both unavailable, many Spurs fans felt he would be given an opportunity to start.

However, Conte revealed yesterday that Lucas is only fit enough for a place on the bench.

The Spurs boss said, as per Football London: “But for sure, when you have Kulusevski injured and Richarlison injured, then also Lucas Moura recovering from a long tendon injury, now he’s improving but in my opinion he’s not ready to start a game.

“For sure this type of situation creates a big, big difficulty. It’s normal, this. For me, also fingers crossed because at the moment we have Harry and Sonny in good health. (Laughs) I hope they continue to stay that way or I’ll have to think about putting my shoes on to play, me.”

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Tottenham take on Newcastle United tomorrow in what will be a really difficult clash.

The Magpies are unbeaten in their last six games. They’ve lost just once all season and currently boast the best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding just nine goals from their first 11 games.

Tottenham, on the other hand, have not been playing well at all. Yes, they’re getting the results, but every time they’ve come up against an in-form side, they’ve been battered – the games against Arsenal and Manchester United are strong examples.

It will be interesting to see who Conte will start on the right flank tomorrow. If his comments are anything to go by, it definitely will not be Lucas.