Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Erik Lamela is in line to make his long-awaited return to the Tottenham squad against West Brom on Saturday.
The Spurs manager suggested at a media briefing on Thursday afternoon that the attacking midfielder has a small chance of being on the bench for the Premier League fixture at Wembley.
Football London’s Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold reported the exchange with Pochettino on his personal Twitter account as he cited Pochettino’s explanation that Lamela’s return is dependent upon how he feels after Friday’s training session.
Poch just told me that Erik Lamela has a small chance of being on the bench against West Brom on Saturday if the player tells him after tomorrow’s training session that he feels ready. Otherwise he may play in the U23s match at Man City to keep building his confidence in his hips
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) November 23, 2017
Lamela played for an hour for Tottenham Under-23s last weekend in a Premier League 2 clash against Chelsea after 13 months out with a hip injury.
The Argentina international has not played for Spurs since October of last year due to 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, as the mental scars of his 13-month spell on the sidelines will run deep, but the wide man adds another attacking option at a time when Tottenham will need all hands on deck even though they secured progress to the Champions League knockout stages on Tuesday night as winners of their group.