Tottenham Hotspur's club record signing Tanguy Ndombele took part in training after being left out of the match day squad to face Brighton and Hove Albion on Boxing Day.
In his post-match press conference after the game head coach Jose Mourinho responded to the questions over the Frenchman's absence by shifting the focus on to his readiness to play.
Last season, the midfielder became one of the most sought-after players in Europe after impressing for Lyon in Ligue 1 and in the Champions League.
He had too much quality for Manchester City to deal with in the group stage of the competition in 2018 and was eyed as the perfect successor to Mousa Dembele at Spurs under Mauricio Pochettino.
Daniel Levy was able to agree a deal for Ndombele that beat Tottenham's rivals in the race to sign the French youngster with the 22-year-old set to be the centrepiece of a new midfield under the head coach who had guided the club to a Champions League final in June.
The Argentinian never quite got the chance to realise his ambitions for a new era at Spurs and was dismissed in November to be replaced by Mourinho.
Ndombele had to settle for a place on the bench against Manchester United and Chelsea in Tottenham's recent losses to their top six rivals.
After he was left out of the squad to face Brighton altogether Mourinho questioned his fitness levels.
"I cannot say he is injured," said the Spurs head coach in his post-match press conference.
"I can say that yesterday he told me he was not feeling in condition to play the game.
"Not based on injuries, based on fears of previous injuries of the season. I cannot say he is injured."
With the final whistle having been blown at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Mourinho and the players who did feature against Brighton busy with their post-match responsibilities, Ndombele took part in a training session out on the pitch.
He joined Eric Dier, Erik Lamela, Son Heung-min and Victor Wanyama in being put through his paces by the coaching team. It is common practise for players who did not take part in the game to go through a session after the match.
A video of their routines can be watched at the top of this article.
Given his status as the club's record signing, and his exciting set of skills that could potentially take Spurs and their midfield to a new level, fans will be cheered by the sight of Ndombele in action working to gain a starting place in the first team.
