Tottenham Hotspur winger Erik Lamela has expressed his delight at being able to get back on to the pitch after such a long time to show to the fans what he can do.

The 25-year-old came on as a second half substitute in Tottenham's 5-1 crushing of Stoke City on Saturday, in what was his first home game since returning to action after almost a year out.




The Argentine was welcomed by a roaring Wembley, much to the delight of the player concerned, who insists that it was a moment to savour.

Reflecting on his time out of action, Lamela insisted that he put in a lot of hard work into his recovery to make sure that he returned to action fit and well.
 


“It was worth it [the hard work to return to fitness] for that”, Lamela told his club's official website.  

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“It was amazing because I worked really hard and during the time that I was injured I suffered a lot, especially mentally.

"It was really hard to be injured for a long time because I love to play football and I enjoy when I play so to feel the reaction from the home fans was amazing.

“It was very good to go on the pitch and feel the reaction from all the people and after that I wanted to show them something on the pitch like always, giving my best.”

The former AS Roma man managed 14 appearances for the Lilywhites last season before he picked up the hip injury in October and had to undergo extensive rehabilitation.

His first match back in action was against Leicester City as a late second half substitute on 28th November.