An article in The Independent says Mauricio Pochettino is ready to axe a first-team player to fit Erik Lamela back into his squad for the Champions League knock-out rounds.
We face Italian champions Juventus in the last-16 but Lamela is not currently eligible, having been left out of the squad for the group stages. It adds that Lamela has just returned to action after a whole year out with a persistent hip injury and has impressed in his contributions so far.
However for Pochettino to put Lamela back in, he would have to axe another senior non-homegrown player from his current list and the article adds that Georges Kevin N’Koudou, who has struggled again to make an impact this season, is likeliest to be in the firing line.
“Of course, we are thinking about that,” Pochettino confirmed when asked about this at his Thursday press conference. “I cannot lie. We are thinking about it. We will see what happens regarding ins or outs in January because we need to consider to provide one place to Erik.”
The article goes on to say if N’Koudou, or another player, is removed from the European squad then he may also be loaned for the second half of the season. “We will see what happens because of course, when January arrives, different players have different ideas, different challenges,” Pochettino said.
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