Tottenham have been dealt a blow in their title challenge after Erik Lamela suffered a set back in his return from a hip injury.
Lamela, 24, has not featured for Tottenham since picking up a hip injury in training in the build up to their Champions League encounter with Bayer Leverkusen at the start of November.
Tottenham’s results have gone off the boil since Lamela’s injury and the intensity he brings to their style of play has been evidently lacking in the last four weeks, and worryingly, Mauricio Pochettino is not able to be a date on his potential return.
“We are a bit worried about his situation,” the London Evening Standard quote Pochettino as saying in his pre-match press conference. “He is not recovering in the way we expect. It is too difficult to explain because I am not a specialist.
“We need to give him more time to recover. It is a hip problem but I cannot say when he will be back.”
Lamela’s career at White Hart Lane has gone through an incredible transformation under Pochettino, having gone from a player deemed surplus to requirements by supporters to one integral to the way they play.
The energy he brings off the ball is particularly key to the way Pochettino wants his teams to aggressively press their opponents. In fact, only Idrissa Gueye (88) has committed more fouls in the Premier League than Lamela (79) since the start of last season.
For more stats on Erik Lamela, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
