Mateus Fernandes has been left out of Tottenham’s squad for their pre-season friendly against Sydney FC on Wednesday, with head coach Roberto De Zerbi carefully managing the minutes of several first-team players during a busy summer tour.
The Portuguese midfielder, who made a £85million move from West Ham, had played in each of Spurs’ first two pre-season games. A recent video showing him standing on the sidelines while the rest of the squad trained in Australia sparked fears of an injury, but those concerns have reportedly been allayed.
Minute management on tour
Destiny Udogie, James Maddison and Jan Paul van Hecke have also been left out of Spurs’ squad for Wednesday’s game against A-League opposition at Allianz Stadium. De Zerbi is determined to avoid a repeat of the injury crisis that derailed Spurs’ 2025/26 campaign and contributed to a relegation battle that ended with a second successive 17th-place finish in the Premier League.
Fernandes impressed in his first two outings, scoring a volley in a 1-0 victory over MK Dons behind closed doors at Hotspur Way last week. He then came on in the 62nd minute against Auckland FC on Sunday, as Spurs completed a 2-0 win in front of a record crowd at Eden Park with goals from Dane Scarlett and Richarlison.
Tonali among substitutes
There had been concerns that club-record signing Sandro Tonali, who joined from Newcastle for £100m last month, would miss out entirely against Sydney FC after not being included in the squad to face Auckland. However, the Italian international has been named among the substitutes as Spurs seek to continue their perfect start to pre-season.
