Spurs pair close to return

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a significant boost ahead of the restart of the Premier League and Champions League with Danny Rose and Erik Lamela both returning to first-team training.

Left-back Rose has been out since January with a knee injury and has suffered at least one setback during his recovery that has prevented him from playing this season.

Lamela has not played for Tottenham for almost a year because of hip problems and he even spent time at his former club Roma as he attempted to overcome his injuries before finally undergoing surgery.

Tottenham posted a picture on Twitter of both players with the rest of the squad on Wednesday, although it still may be a couple of weeks before Rose is in contention for a first-team return following such a lengthy lay-off.

The 27-year-old, who has been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea after criticising the Tottenham wage structure, is still rated as one of the best left-backs in Europe, despite Ben Davies filling in impressively.

Lamela had been displaying some of his best form since his 2013 £30million move from Roma before first suffering his hip injury. While Rose could be back sooner, Tottenham have so far not been any more specific than hoping that he Argentine could play for the club this year.

Following this weekend’s game against Bournemouth, Tottenham face a tough run of fixtures in which they play Real Madrid twice in the Champions League and Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premier League in just over a month.