It shouldn't be too long before Giovani Lo Celso is finally back in action for Tottenham.
Hobbling off seconds after the restart against Leicester City prior to Christmas, the Argentina international has yet to appear for Spurs so far in 2021 due to a hamstring injury.
Jose Mourinho revealed in January that his player would be out for a "few weeks" because of the issue but his return to fitness has taken a lot longer than many initially expected.
Lo Celso is definitely getting there now and the head coach provided an update on his classy midfielder on Friday when speaking to the media to preview the Burnley game.
"As I was saying, everybody is training with the team and Gio is the only one that is not in conditions to play this weekend," he explained.
"I think even next week will be quite premature for not to say impossible, but he's coming.
"Today for the first time in a long time, the medical department could watch the draw as they didn't have any players inside."
Not just back on the grass now and building up his fitness after so long out, Lo Celso was spotted with the ball at his feet on Friday at Hotspur Way.
Set to hand Tottenham a much-needed boost when he does return to action at such a crucial time in the season, Lo Celso has a big fight on his hands to force his way into the side on a permanent basis.
So where exactly will he play for Spurs once he is fit and firing again? football.london takes a look.
Rotate with Ndombele
Mourinho appears to have made his mind up over his first-choice Tottenham midfield now after so much chopping and changing previously.
With Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg a guaranteed starter in one of the two midfield berths, Tanguy Ndombele has moved back slightly to play alongside the Dane.
Perhaps not in advanced areas as much as he was before when played further forward, operating next to Hojbjerg allows the player to still get on the move and push forward when possible.
A central midfielder by trade despite the fact he has spent a lot of time as an attacking midfielder in the past, Lo Celso will be a contender to play in his natural position when fit.
That could potentially mean he rotates there with Ndombele if Mourinho believes that is the best thing to do.
It's definitely an option for the boss, but he does have plenty of other possibilities when it comes to Lo Celso.
The dream midfield three
An attack of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale was not the only dream three Tottenham fans were talking about at the start of the season.
Supporters were also calling loudly for Mourinho to play Hojbjerg in the holding role and then have both Ndombele and Lo Celso just ahead of him.
Certainly a mouthwatering midfield three on paper, we've only seen the trio start together twice so far as the Argentine has endured a stop-start season to date because of injury issues.
While the trio playing together is an extremely exciting prospect, Mourinho would then have to take out one of his attackers after playing with a three behind Kane lately.
That may in turn mean that the player in the No.10 position, whether that be Lucas Moura, Erik Lamela or Dele Alli, is forced to watch on from the bench.
One plus to operating this way is that either Ndombele or Lo Celso could push forward and play as a No.10 if required.
Utilised in No.10 role
Another option regarding Lo Celso would just be to play him in the No.10 role from the start of games.
We saw a bit more of him in the role towards the end of last season and he did finish the year with assists in the games against Newcastle United and Crystal Palace.
Lo Celso has so far played in the position nine times this season, scoring four goals in the process.
As alluded to above, utilising the 24-year-old as a No.10 would subsequently have an impact on game time for Lucas, Lamela or Alli in the process.
However, there are plenty of matches still to be played in the Premier League and Europa League to ensure everyone gets sufficient minutes.
Impact sub
The final option would be to start with the ex-Real Betis man on the bench and use him as an impact sub.
A player who is excellent on the ball with an eye for a pass, he could be a brilliant option to bring on in the closing stages when games are tight and Spurs need to find a goal from somewhere courtesy of a piece of magic.
Lo Celso has mainly operated from the bench in the Premier League for the Lilywhites this campaign, coming on in seven games as opposed to his four league starts.
One of those second-half introductions was against Man City back in November, where he doubled Spurs' lead seconds after entering the action.
As Mourinho is extremely unlikely to throw him straight in once he is back to fitness, it will more than likely be a few appearances off the bench here and there first of all to put him in a position to go on and start games.
With the front four playing well at present, as well as Hojbjerg and Ndombele forming a good understanding, the Argentine may unfortunately have to settle for a place on the bench unless he gives his boss no option but to start him.
