Tottenham have been dealt a cruelly-timed injury blow after Savio was denied a Premier League debut for the club due to a muscular issue.
Savio joined Spurs from Manchester City in an eye-watering £85m deal but got off to a perfect start for the Lilywhites in midweek, coming off the bench and immediately scoring in the 5-0 Carabao Cup win over Charlton.
He was expected to make his league bow for Spurs alongside fellow ex-City team-mate Omar Marmoush against Newcastle in Saturday’s late kick-off, but was notable for his absence in the matchday squad.
Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi has now explained why the Brazilian missed out on the visit of the Magpies.
“We had some bad news yesterday,” he told Sky Sports. “He suffered muscular fatigue. The medical staff didn't want to take a risk. I agree with them."
Tottenham will hope Savio’s absence from the squad is short-lived, with De Zerbi indicating that his omission was precautionary.
Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti was in the stands at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, potentially with an eye to watch Savio given he would have been the only Brazilian player in either squad, with Joelinton similarly recovering from an injury for the Magpies.
Marmoush did start against Newcastle to make his debut, which was one of five changes De Zerbi made from the Charlton win.
Sandro Tonali was back in midfield to face his former club, while Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro and Andy Robertson also came into the side.
