Tottenham Hotspur retain confidence Erik Lamela will make a full recovery.
Lamela has not played for Spurs in 11 months despite the fact his hip injury was originally feared to keep him out for just a matter of weeks.
The winger has not been named in the club’s Champions League squad, prompting fears his injury will rule him out for a substantial part of this season or even beyond.
It is expected he is still ‘weeks away’ from returning for the first team, but there are no fears that his career is in jeopardy.
Lamela coming back would transform Tottenham’s options in attack as they did not manage to sign a winger in the transfer window.
If he is not back by January then it is a position the club will have to address in the transfer market but the latest report suggests he will have made his first team return by Christmas.
It is a frustrating situation for Tottenham and their supporters, while Lamela could also struggle to get up to full speed.
A spell playing with the under-23s is likely before he steps back up to the first team.
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