Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that Mateus Fernandes missed Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Sydney FC due to fatigue in his calf. Fernandes was left out of Spurs’ squad entirely for Wednesday’s pre-season friendly at Allianz Stadium, raising concerns among fans that he had suffered an injury in the lead-up to the game.
However, De Zerbi, 47, reassured the Tottenham faithful that Fernandes is simply “fatigued”. De Zerbi said: “Fernandes is just fatigued, the calf. “And also for him we took the decision not to take any risk and to recover. “But the next week, Wednesday, when we start the pre-season in London, he will be ready to work.”
Spurs fended off competition from Premier League foes Manchester United and Arsenal to sign Fernandes, 22, for a staggering £85million. Spurs made a significant statement of ambition earlier this month by fending off competition from the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal to sign the Portugal international for a fee of £85 million. De Zerbi excited Tottenham fans in the last two pre-season friendlies against MK Dons and Auckland when he fielded an exciting midfield partnership between Fernandes and fellow summer signing Sandro Tonali. The pair helped their new team win 1-0 against the Dons and 2-0 versus the Australian outfit.
However, Panic, however, was sparked on Tuesday evening by images of Fernandes watching a training session from the sidelines, leading to speculation that he had become the latest Tottenham player to suffer a major knee injury. That led to speculation the Portugal international suffered a serious knee problem following an injury-plagued campaign that almost led to relegation.
Tottenham boss De Zerbi has been keen not to risk several of his key first-team players during pre-season so far, leaving club-record £100million signing Sandro Tonali out of the squad for Spurs’ 2-0 win over Auckland FC at Eden Park on Sunday.