Pochettino plays down Lamela return

According to an article by ESPN Mauricio Pochettino has played down the prospect of an imminent first-team comeback for Erik Lamela after the winger finally returned to the pitch for the under-23s on Saturday.

Lamela has been sidelined with serious hip problems since a League Cup against Liverpool 13 months however the article adds that he has been back in training for a month, with Pochettino repeatedly saying that he is waiting for the 25-year-old to say he is “ready” to compete.

It adds that while we were losing 2-0 at Arsenal on Saturday, Lamela started for the club’s U23s in a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea at Hotspur Way, playing for an hour.

However he is ineligible for Tuesday’s Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund as he’s not on the squad list that was submitted to UEFA at the start of the season and Mauricio was quick to play down his chances of featuring against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

“He played for the U23s against Chelsea on Saturday for 60 minutes and after 20 minutes started to feel something. This is normal after one year. It’s different to training,” Pochettino told a news conference.

He added: “When you compete you feel different in your body and mind, expectations and stress. We are happy with him. We will see what happens. We hope he starts to feel better and one day be available for the first team.”

It’s still good news, he played for an hour and seems to have got through it unscathed. He’s probably a couple of weeks off a first team return but it’s great to see him back in the fold and hopefully he will be back for the foreseeable.

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