Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham have been boosted ahead of their Premier League visit of Bournemouth on Saturday as Danny Rose and Erik Lamela come ever closer to their returns to first-team football after lengthy spells on the sidelines.
Lamela’s Spurs story took another nasty blow last October when he was forced off as Liverpool dumped Pochettino’s side out of the League Cup, while Rose has been sidelined since January with a knee injury.
While they will not return for the visit of Bournemouth to Wembley Stadium on Saturday the Argentine manager will take positives as the pair continue their reintegration back into first-team football.
Erik Lamela (left) continues to make progress towards his return to the Tottenham first-team
While Danny Rose also nears a return as Mauricio Pochettino is boosted at Spurs training
Rose has been heavily linked with a move away from Spurs with Manchester United interested
Spurs have been preparing for the clash at their Enfield training center with Harry Kane looking a happy employee as he hopes to carry on where he left off before the international break.
Kane netted twice when Spurs ran out easy 4-0 victors at Huddersfield before the international break where Harry Kane solidified England’s World Cup qualification.
Spurs were preparing for their return to Premier League action against Bournemouth
Harry Kane will need to continue his goalscoring form to keep Romelu Lukaku at bay
The Tottenham striker has netted 11 goals in nine games for Mauricio Pochettino’s side
It was the 24-year-old’s fourth brace of the season, and he almost managed a second hat trick before being substituted.
Also in action was Harry Winks fresh from his England debut, Moussa Dembele, who was left out of the Belgium squad for their final two qualifiers after an injury scare, while Jan Vertonghen was absent after captaining his country to a 4-0 win over Cyprus on Tuesday night.
Harry Winks was all smiles at their Enfield base after making his international debut
While summer signing Serge Aurier also enjoyed himself in the build up to Saturday’s game
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According to Sky Sports, Vertonghen, who became Belgium’s most capped player of all time in the victory with his 97th appearance, has tipped Romelu Lukaku to remain a threat to Harry Kane’s golden boot this season.
‘In my eyes it is difficult to split them. I think they will keep playing for the Golden Boot until the last game of the season like they did last year,’ he said. ‘Obviously Romelu is in great form. Harry is special as well. I can’t find the words to describe them enough.
‘They’re both totally different, to be honest.’
Moussa Dembele was ruled out of Belgium duty through injury so was present in Enfield
While countryman Jan Vertonghen (right) was absent after becoming Belgium’s most capped international with 97 appearances but has given his views on Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane
Lukaku has adjusted quickly to the expectations that come with being a Manchester United front-man scoring seven in his first seven top-flight games, as well as netting three times in their first two Champions League encounters.
The former Chelsea and Everton striker faces his biggest test to date in a United shirt as he faces a trip to bitter rivals Liverpool on Saturday.
Meanwhile Kane, who has claimed the golden boot for the past two consecutive seasons, sits one behind in the race for the award but has found the net five times in his first two games in Europe’s elite competition.
After both strikers scored during the international break for their countries Vertonghen believes Lukaku (right) can threaten Kane for the top-flight golden boot this season