Roberto De Zerbi explains Savio absence for Tottenham against Newcastle

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has explained why new signing Savio was left out of the squad to face Newcastle United despite making an immediate impact on his Spurs debut.

The 22-year-old Brazilian suffered muscle fatigue ahead of the Premier League clash, with Tottenham's medical staff deciding it was not worth risking him against Matthias Jaissle's Newcastle.

Savio's absence came as a surprise after he scored a superb goal during Tottenham's 5-1 Carabao Cup victory over Charlton Athletic in midweek.

Tottenham completed the signing of Savio from Manchester City earlier this week, and the winger wasted little time introducing himself to his new supporters.

Coming off the bench against Charlton, Savio scored an impressive debut goal and immediately increased expectations that he could feature against Newcastle.

However, De Zerbi revealed the Brazilian experienced a physical issue on Friday.

“There was bad news yesterday, before training in the afternoon,” De Zerbi told Sky Sports.

“He suffered muscle fatigue and the medical staff didn’t want to take a risk. I agree with them.”

There is therefore no suggestion at this stage that Savio has suffered a significant injury, with Tottenham instead taking precautions with their new arrival.

Although Savio was unavailable, another former Manchester City attacker was given his opportunity.

Omar Marmoush was named in Tottenham's starting XI, giving the Egyptian his full debut following his move earlier in the week.

Marmoush joined Spurs on an initial loan deal containing an obligation to buy and has immediately been brought into De Zerbi's starting side.

Tottenham are looking for their first Premier League victory of the campaign after suffering a disappointing 3-0 defeat against Brentford in their opening fixture.

Their emphatic cup victory over Charlton provided a response, but Newcastle represent a considerably tougher test for De Zerbi's new-look squad.

Richarlison was another notable absentee from Tottenham's matchday squad.

Unlike Savio, no specific fitness explanation was provided for the striker's omission. His future has been the subject of continued speculation throughout the transfer window, making his absence particularly notable.

There was better news concerning Mohammed Kudus, who was fit enough to return to the bench.

Kudus has been dealing with a persistent thigh problem which has kept him unavailable since January, so his inclusion represents an important step in his recovery.

For Savio, Tottenham's decision appears to be precautionary as De Zerbi looks to avoid turning a minor fatigue issue into something more serious.

Tottenham will assess Savio's condition before their next fixture, with De Zerbi's comments suggesting his omission against Newcastle was primarily precautionary.

Attention will also remain on Richarlison as the transfer window approaches its conclusion, while Kudus' return gives De Zerbi another attacking option as Spurs look to build up his fitness.