Lamela returns from injury for Tottenham U23s

Tottenham's gloomy Saturday has been given a silver lining afer Erik Lamela made his return from injury in an Under-23s match at Hotspur Way.

The Argentina international completed an hour of a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea in his first minutes in more than a year.

Lamela has been plagued by a recurring hip injury since October 2016 and only returned to training late last month.

The 25-year-old even spent a period working with the medical staff at former club Roma in an attempt to speed up the lengthy rehabilitation process.

News of his return will be warmly received by Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who was watching his side lose 2-0 at rivals Arsenal during Lamela's comeback.