Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama has returned to first-team training as he steps up his recovery from a knee injury.
The Kenya international powerhouse is not yet ready to return to action for the Lilywhites but has made positive progress in his rehabilitation after reintegrating into first-team training.
Wanyama and Juan Foyth are the club’s only absentees for Monday’s clash against Manchester United, with the young Argentine struggling with a thigh complaint.
The club confirmed the news on their official Twitter account:
TEAM NEWS: @VictorWanyama (knee) – commenced integration into team training. @JuanMFoyth (thigh) – continuing rehabilitation. #COYS pic.twitter.com/CxpNPl1sKt
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 24, 2018
OPINION
Getting Wanyama back into the first-team fold will be a welcome boost for Mauricio Pochettino, who will need all his weapons available to him this season if he wants to break Tottenham’s trophy duck. The club’s failure to sign a single player in the summer market means that the pressure upon the first-team to stay fit is extremely high, and there is high potential for injuries to derail the Lilywhites season. Wanyama is a key cog in the Spurs midfield, and having him in reserve behind the likes of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele will bring far greater depth to that area for Pochettino. What the club must now hope is that Wanyama manages to stay fit, with the Kenyan missing a large chunk of last season with a knee injury. The central enforcer seemed to struggle to find his form after that, and so remaining fit and playing regular football is essential if he wants to find the kind of form that made him one of the first names on the teamsheet during his debut season at the club.