Amid the furore surrounding Tottenham’s huge win over Chelsea on Wednesday, it’s been easy to forget that the Lilywhites were not completely at full strength.
The Spurs XI that took to the field at White Hart Lane was quite possibly Mauricio Pochettino’s best line-up, but there was still one notable absentee.
It’s amazing how quickly Erik Lamela has become a forgotten man having been ruled out in October with a hip injury.
The Argentine last featured in the EFL Cup defeat to Liverpool, but it’s testament to Spurs’ other attacking midfielders that they’ve been able to cope without him.
Lamela is not an insignificant cog in Pochettino’s machine, and he’s usually able to press superbly when fully fit.
And according to the Spurs manager, the 24-year-old is now “close” to a return, though he is unable to put a timeframe on it.
“He is close but is a little bit frustrated and it’s tough for him to not be involved at the moment,” he said, via the Evening Standard.
“He has travelled to Rome with our staff to finish his recovery. We hope after that he can be involved with the team again.”
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