Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that Erik Lamela could make a stunning return to the Tottenham team for their Premier League clash against Manchester United on Saturday.
The Spurs manager revealed at his media briefing on Friday afternoon that the attacking midfielder is “close” to a return and claimed he could surprise the staff by a comeback that is sooner than originally expected.
Pochettino said, as quoted by the personal Twitter account of Tottenham journalist Ben Pearce, that Lamela’s final remaining hurdle to full fitness is purely mental.
#thfc Pochettino on Lamela: “Maybe he surprises us today or maybe next week. We feel it’s so close. He only needs that click in his mind.”
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) October 27, 2017
The Argentina international, 25, has been absent since October of last year with an injury that baffled medics before he underwent double hip surgery earlier this year.
OPINION
The impending return of Lamela is a huge boost to Spurs. The matches will come thick and fast over the coming months, and Pochettino will be delighted to call upon once again a proven performer who will instantly improve the first team squad. Lamela splits Spurs fans with his inconsistency, but he is a creator and a goalscorer who is capable of brilliance. He adds another attacking option at a time when Tottenham are unable to call upon brilliant spearhead Harry Kane, who is out with a hamstring injury against United.