Mauricio Pochettino Backs Erik Lamela to Rediscover Best Form After Injury Woes

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino believes Erik Lamela will shortly rediscover his best form after starring in Tottenham's FA Cup triumph over Newport County.

The Argentine winger was sidelined for over a year with a hip injury before returning to action in November, and netted his first goal since September 2016 in his outfit's 2-0 victory on Wednesday evening.

An own goal from Exiles defender Dan Butler put Spurs in the ascendancy in the first-half at Wembley, with Lamela netting minutes after; setting up a trip to Rochdale in the next round later this February.

The 25-year-old's efforts didn't go unnoticed on the day, with Pochettino praising the player's attitude on his return to fitness (quotes via BT Sport): 

"He was more than one year out and it’s never easy to come back and perform in that way that he was before.

"But he should because he loves football and he loves training and I think his mentality is fantastic.

"I think it’s going to be easy to recover his real level, or improve because he’s more mature and you learn; in a tough moment you learn a lot, no doubt... It’s important because he’s an important player."

The side are also bolstered by the return of superstar defender Toby Alderweireld, who made his long awaited return after being out since November 1st. The Belgian is now in contention to start in the north London derby clash against Arsenal on Saturday.