Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has revealed that Moussa Sissoko was never in his thinking ahead of this weekend as Spurs narrowly edged Watford in the Premier League.
Sissoko made an immediate return to the club he left only two days prior to the game as he suffered defeat against the north Londoners on Sunday afternoon.
His 71 minutes of action for the Hornets means he already has his first taste of what manager Xisco Munoz is expecting from him in the system that his new club will be employing during the 2021/22 campaign.
Spurs fans welcomed their former player in good fashion before and after the 32-year-old's afternoon came to an end in N17.
It was a shock amongst many Tottenham supporters to see the player who departed the club during the week feature against them straight away in the Premier League, and manager Espirito Santo admitted his huge admiration for the player that he let go.
He said in his post-match press conference: "He joined Watford today, we worked together for a few weeks. I have huge respect for Moussa, huge and I just want to wish him all the best at Watford because it has been a pleasure. I have big admiration for Moussa. A true gentleman."
Wolves' former boss then went on to reveal that Sissoko wasn't part of the preparation for this game whilst his future was up in the air earlier in the week.
"No, this week was different because of the Conference League game in midweek, so this is different," the 47-year-old explained.
"But there is no issue at all, the moment he joined Watford he became a Watford player so the decision of playing him was with the manager of Watford, we cannot interfere, we did not interfere. Everything is clear, huge respect and admiration."
Sissoko joined Spurs back in 2016 from Newcastle United as their £30million club-record signing, but struggled in his first few years at the club.
Away from Sissoko's return to Spurs, Espirito Santo's immediate impact has the north Londoners as the only team left in the top flight was a 100% winning record - sitting top of the table heading into the international break.
An accolade which they will be looking to continue in two week's time against their next opponents in the form of Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace.
