Erik Lamela is in line to return to the Tottenham team for their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Spurs podcaster Ricky Sacks reported on his personal Twitter account on Tuesday that the Argentine attacker is set to be included in the Spurs squad that hosts Palace at Wembley this weekend.
Sacks, who is a reliable source of Tottenham information, made the claim following Lamela’s return to full first-team training.
Erik Lamela expected to be included in squad to face Crystal Palace on Sunday following his return to full first-team training. #COYS#THFC pic.twitter.com/xDJVkK3MUE
— Ricky Sacks ???? (@RickSpur) October 31, 2017
It comes after Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino revealed at his media briefing last Friday 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 also occasionally capable of brilliance. Of course, it will be some time before he returns to full fitness, but the wide man adds another attacking option at a time when Tottenham will need all hands on deck as they aim to stay in contention in the major competitions.