Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that Erik Lamela remains entirely committed to the club and isn’t considering an exit.
The Argentine playmaker has been out of action since October due to a troublesome hip problem, with Spurs allowing him to return to Rome to receive treatment.
Having now returned to training, there are still doubts over his long-term future at White Hart Lane as he remains the only big-name player to not have renewed his contract with his current deal set to expire in 2019.
As noted by Sky Sports, speculation has linked him with a return to former clubs River Plate and Roma, but Pochettino has cleared up the matter and insisted that Lamela will remain in north London and wants to stay and help the club succeed in achieving their objectives.
“I asked him if he wanted to go back and he said ‘I want to play here, I want to play in Tottenham, I want to play for this club, I want to be in England and I want to play football’.
“All negative things you can turn positive and for me that is key. It’s true that we were talking this morning and he was very positive.
“Now he is very focused on his recovery and to be available as soon as possible.”
The 24-year-old hasn’t hit the heights expected after his move from the Italian capital, as he was considered a real star for the future with his performances for the Giallorossi.
Injuries and loss of form have contributed to that, and so Lamela, Pochettino and the club will hope that his recovery continues to go to plan and he can return to the fold sooner rather than later to have an influence on the team again.
In turn, if he can regain his form and fitness and prove his worth, then there is likely to be a contract offer waiting for him with Tottenham agreeing new deals with a whole host of first-team stars in recent months as they look to keep this talented group together for many more years.