Tottenham winger Erik Lamela has been ruled out of the remainder of the Premier League season ahead of surgery on a long-standing hip injury.
The club confirmed on Wednesday that the Argentina international will go under the knife on Saturday, having been out of action for five months.
Lamela, who last featured in a 2-1 EFL Cup loss to Liverpool on October 25, will miss the final 10 league games of the campaign.
A Spurs statement said the 25-year-old had undertaken a "comprehensive rehabilitation process" and "achieved a good level of function", but had fallen short of being able to return to full training.
INJURY UPDATE: is to undergo surgery on his hip on Saturday. This will result in Erik returning to action next season. March 29, 2017
Lamela joined Spurs from Roma in 2013 and, after an underwhelming first season, had established himself as a regular starter under Mauricio Pochettino before this setback.
Spurs sit second, 10 points behind leaders Chelsea, with Champions League qualification in their sights.
‘Maybe I’ll be signed by Wrexham, who knows? English football would suit me – if an offer came, I wouldn’t think twice, I’d go immediately’ Euro 2024 cult hero reveals his UK dream
‘Managing Leeds? It was an option that appeared, but it wasn’t the right timing. I decided it wasn’t a good idea to leave the club I was at mid-season’: Premier League boss admits to turning down opportunity to replace Jesse Marsch in 2023
