Some fans had hoped to see Lucas Moura in a Tottenham shirt for the first time during the weekend’s trip to Liverpool.
However, the Brazilian had only taken part in team training once, so Mauricio Pochettino opted against including him in the squad that travelled to Anfield.
Wednesday night’s FA Cup replay against League Two side Newport County appeared to be the ideal fixture for Moura to make his Spurs debut, but that won’t happen either.
The club has confirmed the 25-year-old is ineligible as he wasn’t registered before the original tie.
That means Moura won’t play for Tottenham until this weekend’s clash with Arsenal at the earliest.
Stupid rules