Jose Mourinho has revealed that Erik Lamela has finally been able to manage back to back training sessions this week at Hotspur Way.
The Tottenham player had to pull out of Sunday's match against Wolves after feeling pain in his groin injury.
However, Lamela trained on both Monday and Tuesday with his team-mates, a first since he first returned from the injury and it is hoped he will play in Tottenham's FA Cup tie against Norwich City on Wednesday night.
The 27-year-old's misfortune with injuries is well known, with a back injury keeping him out for much of his first season after signing from Roma in 2013, then 13 months out following hip problems which required surgery on each and had the player fearing his career might be over.
Lamela managed to battle back but since then has suffered various little niggling injuries which have interrupted his progress, including a hamstring problem which kept him out for two months this season and the start of the Mourinho reign.
He returned only for the groin injury to thwart him getting minutes under the Portuguese.
The biggest frustration for Mourinho and Lamela's previous manager Mauricio Pochettino is that the Argentine has consistently delivered for Tottenham when he's been fit enough to be involved.
When asked to explain exactly what the problem is currently for Lamela, the Spurs boss struggled.
"I don’t think I can. I think it is an accumulation of situations that come for a long time. I don’t remember him training two days in a row like he did this week," he said.
"I think it took me 40 days to have him training with us. Then he trained yesterday and today and that is probably the first time he has trained two days with me and the team.
"So in this moment I say he plays tomorrow. Starts or comes from the bench, but he plays tomorrow unless he has some reaction before and he makes another decision."
Mourinho admits the situation has been a tough one for both the player and the coaching staff to deal with.
"It’s difficult because to play you need to train well and if you cannot train well it is difficult to play, but it is a difficult process to manage for everyone, especially as he is a very talented player," he explained.
"He had two important surgeries and was out for a year longer. He is that kind of player who can have a muscular problem. He is a player who needs to have his confidence levels very high to feel ready.
"He is a very explosive player who feels in order to perform he needs to be without any pain or problem, but I think [against Norwich] he can be ok.
