LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino has urged Tottenham supporters not to expect too much too soon from Lucas Moura, saying the club have not signed a ready-made superstar like Lionel Messi, Neymar or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lucas completed a £25 million move to Spurs from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day but Pochettino does not expect the Brazilian forward to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
The 25-year-old has made just six substitute appearances for PSG this season after falling down the pecking order at the Parc des Princes and Pochettino said he would take time to adapt to Tottenham and to English football.
Asked if the whole club was excited by Lucas' signing, Pochettino said: "No, no. Exciting? No. We signed a player that is not playing at PSG. We signed a player who has not competed for six or seven months.
"Of course he's an exciting name for our fans. He came from PSG, a big club. But it's different to signing Neymar, Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
"The expectation is that he can help us in the next three months but we cannot put too much pressure on him. He needs to adapt, know the players, the Premier League, the philosophy of the new team.
"There's plenty of examples here -- like Son [Heung-Min], Moussa Sissoko, [Erik] Lamela -- that they need time. Many quality players struggle in six months or one year to adapt to the team, the club, the Premier League.
"I don't want to create too much expectation but if he's an amazing help for us and can score goals, fantastic. But if he doesn't score form the beginning, it's not a mistake."
Asked if Lucas would be available at the weekend, Pochettino added: "I don't want to say yes or no, but I don't believe it will be possible for him to be available.
"He's still doing things. Yesterday he was doing some tests with our sports science and medical staff and today he's in Paris doing private things. We hope tomorrow he can stay here and start to work with the team. But maybe he needs to work a little more to reach the same level as the team.
"For the club it was a good opportunity to add him because he can bring different qualities to the squad," Pochettino added. "He's an experienced player -- young but with a lot of experience playing at a big club like PSG. Last season he scored a lot of goals.
"He's fast and he can link with the team perfectly. We hope his adaptation will be quick and our expectation, and his expectation, is to try to help the team as soon as possible.
"To have different options to play during the game, to change, is important for the team -- to have different qualities and characteristics from different players. But it's not going to change our principles or our philosophy. That is so strong, the structure of the team.
"I think he's going to make the effort to adapt himself with his quality in our philosophy -- and we're going to adapt yo his qualities too, when he's on the pitch, to have different characteristics and options to play. But he's a player that can adapt completely to our philosophy."
Lucas' transition to English football will be helped by his friend and former PSG teammate Serge Aurier, who made the same switch in the summer.
"It's so important, like Moussa Sissoko was for Serge when he arrived here," Pochettino said. "To adapt yourself in a new club and country, it's so important to have, like Serge said, his 'brother.'
"It's always important but in the end our squad is amazing in this aspect, because all the players are so nice, such good people, and he's very welcome and not only Serge is going to help him, but different players."
Lucas is available in the Champions League having not featured for PSG in this season's competition and he has replaced 19-year-old centre-back Juan Foyth in Spurs' 21-man senior squad for the knockout stages.
"That is not only my decision," Pochettino explained. "It is a club decision, with the chairman, the administration and with the chief scout. We don't have space for everyone.
"Lucas was a last-minute opportunity, on the last day of the transfer market. We knew that if you bring in a player on the last day, we would end up not having space for some another.
"Yes, it's very painful for Juan. When we signed him, we believed in him like a future, potential top player and of course he's going to play how he's playing in the FA Cup, different games and we are so happy with his evolution.
"Of course this situation it's not a big deal and of course he understands. But for me it's very painful because it looks like we don't have a plan [for Foyth].
"But I told you, as a club, at the moment, we sign opportunities and this was a great opportunity for us but in the same way you need to take a very painful decision."
Every Tottenham player is in full training after Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld, Aurier and Harry Winks joined the rest of the squad this week but Pochettino suggested that Liverpool would come too soon for Rose and Alderweireld, who are still not match-fit.