Jose Mourinho has claimed that he cannot be certain over Tanguy Ndombele's fitness after the Frenchman was left out of the match day squad to face Brighton.
In the summer, the former Lyon midfielder became a new record signing for Spurs after being earmarked as the long-term successor to Mousa Dembele.
The 22-year-old emerged as one of the most highly-rated talents in European football for his performances in Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
He was linked to Manchester City after running Pep Guardiola's team ragged in the group stages last season with his formidable mix of strength and quality on the ball.
Mourinho was asked about why Ndombele was absent from the team sheet against Brighton with the Frenchman not even making the bench.
"I cannot say he is injured," said the Spurs head coach in his post-match press conference.
"I can say that yesterday he told me he was not feeling in condition to play the game.
"Not based on injuries, based on fears of previous injuries of the season. I cannot say he is injured."
Mourinho has previously criticised players in his comments to the media at Chelsea and Manchester United over individuals being unable to make themselves available for selection due to injury concerns.
He publicly rebuked Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw during his time at Old Trafford for not playing through the pain for the team, with the left-back having been especially concerned over putting his body on the line due to his experiences coming back from a broken leg.
Ndombele is understood to be not be fully fit and has had minor injury problems to contend with since his departure from Lyon.
The Frenchman was expected to be the central figure in Mauricio Pochettino's plans to rebuild the Spurs midfield.
With Mourinho having now replaced the Argentinian in the dugout it remains to be seen how the summer signing will fit into his plans.
