News about Erik Lamela, let alone his sightings, have been very rare in the past one year at Tottenham Hotspur. The lad has been unfortunate with the injuries, as successive operations have prolonged his absence from the football field.

And so, when news came out from the club staff about the 25-year-old Argentine, the fans were surprised. To add to the surprise, the news is that Lamela has gained 6 lbs of pure muscle over the past few weeks, as reported in the media.

The Argentine midfielder has been out of action since playing in the 2-1 EFL Cup defeat to Liverpool at Anfield last season. That was way back on October 25, 2016, and we are almost nearing one year of complete absence of the player.

During this time, he had injuries to both hips that required operations on both. The lengthy recovery period has been frustrating but the player has been in great spirits, working on his rehabilitation with the club medical staff. It is rare to see someone manage his mental keenness after such a prolonged absence but Lamela has managed to do just that.

Reports from Sky Sports indicate that he is recovering well and that he is at an advanced stage of his recovery. Manager Mauricio Pochettino, under whom Lamela saw an upsurge of form only for injury to hamper his progress, is confident that he can have his countryman at his disposal as early as this month.

The club staff still hold Lamela in high stead as he has always been one of the keenest players in doing community work for the club.

If Lamela returns to first-team football, what impact will he have? After a poor start to his Tottenham career, the Argentine midfielder was beginning to show his true colours before the injury struck him.

I am sure that Lamela still has a lot to offer the club, although there are a lot of fans who disagree with me. The lad is one of the nicest in contemporary football and lets hope he comes back strong this time.