Mateus Fernandes was one of Tottenham Hotspur’s most expensive signings of the summer window, but he has still not been called up to the senior Portugal squad.Many of Spurs’ summer signings have not hit the ground running the way Roberto De Zerbi would have hoped for, as they continue to adapt to a new environment and the Italian’s tactics.While it is still very early days in the season, the Lilywhites’ big-money additions are now under the scanner, with many pundits questioning the logic of spending £100m on Sandro Tonali.IncomingsAndrew RobertsonFreeMarcos SenesiFreeMartin DubravkaFreeJan Paul van Hecke£52mMateus Fernandes£85mSandro Tonali£100mSavinho£85mOmar Marmoush£60mTosin Adarabioyo£12mMykhailo MudrykLoanTotal spent£394mOutgoingsLuka Vuskovic£50mWill Lankshear£20mRadu Dragusin£21mAlejo Veliz£7.7mAlfie Devine£6mTynan Thompson£8mManor Solomon£7mCristian Romero£34.1mAshley Phillips£20mDjed Spence£30mKevin Danso£25mPape Matar Sarr£25.6mTotal received£254.8mTottenham’s net spend£139.2mFellow Tottenham midfield signing, Mateus Fernandes, has also not had the start he would have hoped for in his time in N17, with the 22-year-old often being played in the number 10 role by De Zerbi rather than in central midfield.Photo by Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty ImagesMateus Fernandes’ inclusion in Portugal’s U21 squad backed by national mediaThe former West Ham man, who won his first cap for Portugal back in March, was not part of his nation’s World Cup squad.Even though Tottenham paid £85m for him in the summer, which makes him one of the most expensive Portuguese players in history, new manager Jorge Jesus has not named Fernandes in his Nations League squad for this international break either.He has instead joined the U21 squad, and A Bola appear to agree with Jesus’ decision, suggesting that Fernandes is ‘under fire at Tottenham’ since his big-money move. They suggest that there was no reason for Jesus to rush the young midfielder into the senior squad right now.Jesus himself said: “The players you just mentioned have also been under our observation. I’ve spoken with U21 manager Luís Freire many times. At this stage, I believe the younger players you mentioned still haven’t had their opportunity. I focus on the present, and I also focus on the future. That’s why I made this decision.”However, interestingly, Joao Palhinha, who Spurs opted not to sign permanently in the summer following his loan spell, was part of the Portugal squad and came on as a substitute in their 1-0 win over Wales.Fernandes is part of Portugal’s long-term visionWhile the Tottenham man may have been disappointed to be overlooked from the senior set-up by the new boss, he is part of Jesus’ long-term thinking.This is according to Portugal’s U21 boss Luís Freire, who spoke about Fernandes, explaining that the 22-year-old is being monitored closely as Portugal start their planning for Euro 2028.Freire said: “Mateus Fernandes and Rodrigo Mora? More than having a group of big names and great individuals, because we have a lot of individual quality, we’re focused on building great teams. For that, we need great players. That feeling of connection and the team culture have to come before individual objectives.“If we can do that, we can be candidates to win games and win trophies. Once we’re at the European Championship, we’ll want to win it, but the most important thing is winning now. Mateus and Mora are being monitored by Jorge Jesus and they have a great space here to prove their worth. They’re very motivated to help the U21s. The responsibility of representing Portugal is always the same.”READ MORE: Tottenham set firm Antonin Kinsky plan despite poor start and defensive strugglesThe post Why Tottenham’s £85m Mateus Fernandes is not even in the senior Portugal squad appeared first on Spurs Web.