Why imminent Erik Lamela return could take Spurs to the next level

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Erik Lamela is back in training for Tottenham and will make his first team return in the near future.

Danny Rose of Tottenham Hotspur and Billy Jones of Sunderland compete for the ball.

There was a huge boost for Tottenham Hotspur this week with the BBC reporting both Erik Lamela and Danny Rose had returned to first team training after injury.

Rose has not played since January due to a knee problem, while Lamela has missed almost 12 months of action because of issues with his hip.

Erik Lamela passes the ball during a Tottenham Hotspur training session.

While it is not known when they will be ready for selection on a match day just yet, Sky Sports reported last month that the Argentine would be back in the team by October 21.

It has been so long since Lamela has featured for Spurs and they have achieved so much without him that fans may wonder whether there is even a place in Mauricio Pochettino’s side for the 25-year-old anymore.

Yet before that setback on October 25 last year the attacker was developing into a hugely influential figure for the North Londoners and he still has the potential to offer them something unique going forward if he can rediscover that form.

Christian Eriksen is Tottenham’s most creative source and a key playmaker, while Dele Alli effectively operates as a second striker behind Harry Kane and has become a prolific scorer.

Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his side’s first goal with Dele Alli.

Lamela offers something different, combining creativity with pace and the ability to operate anywhere behind Kane. Not only that but the South American is far from a lazy player and during his peak for Pochettino in the 2015/16 campaign – when he scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in 44 appearances – the Argentina international pressed high and was the first line of defence.

Whether pushing Alli, Eriksen and Heung-min Son for a place behind Kane in a 3-4-3 formation or alongside two of them in a 4-2-3-1 system, Lamela has the ability to make Spurs even better and take them up yet another level.