When you are trying to rebrand yourself from a big-money flop, misses like this do not help.
It looked easier for Erik Lamela to score when Christian Eriksen picked him out unmarked at the back post, but the Argentine somehow headed wide from inside six yards in the first half of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League visit of Manchester United this afternoon. His reaction says it all.
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Lamela seemed to be trying to glance his header inside the near post when it would have been much easier to go back across David de Gea, and he got it horribly wrong, not making sufficient contact.
The 24-year-old has taken great strides this season after two hugely disappointing years upon his club-record £30m move from Roma – fee reported by The Telegraph. But this was 2013 Lamela all over again.
And it was not the type of miss that Tottenham can afford when they are looking to close the 10-point gap to Leicester City, who extended their lead at the top of the table with today’s 2-0 win at Sunderland.
Half-time: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Manchester United
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