Tottenham Hotspur, criticized for continuing to play goalkeeper Hugo Lloris after he was knocked unconscious in a match at Everton last week, left the Frenchman out of their squad for the home Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Sunday.

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas said in midweek he was "astonished" at the reaction to keeping Lloris on the pitch after he was injured in a collision with striker Romelu Lukaku.

"The medical department advised that he should not play but he should be OK for the (France) World Cup playoffs," Villas-Boas told Sky Sports.

France meet Ukraine in the playoff first leg in Kiev on Friday.

Head injury charities criticized the decision to keep the French international on the pitch but Villas-Boas was defiant.

"I stand by the decision I took and I stand by the decision made by my medical staff," he said last week. "They did everything by the book."

The Portuguese added that criticism of Tottenham's medical department for failing to over-rule Lloris's desire to play on was disrespectful considering their part in saving the life of Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during a game in March 2012.

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