Tottenham midfielder Erik Lamela returns to Argentina for family reasons
Erik Lamela has travelled to Argentina to respond to a family problem, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino revealed today.
The forward is currently absent with a hip injury but Pochettino said that he has had to return home this week, for an unspecified period of time.
“It is important to send our support,” said Pochettino. “He has a problem with his family in Argentina and travelled there last night.
“We want to send our big support to him and his family. It is a problem with his brother.
"We hope it is not too serious but it’s an issue that meant he needed to go to Argentina.”
Tottenham will qualify for the Europa League tomorrow if they avoid defeat against CSKA Moscow at Wembley.
They have no chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League but remain determined to make progress in the Europa League, if they can qualify.
Some Tottenham supporters believe the Europa League would be, at best, a mixed blessing.
English clubs have often struggled to cope with the Thursday fixtures, followed by Premier League matches on a Sunday.
Tottenham have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the competition, which replaced the old UEFA Cup in 2009.
But Pochettino insisted: “Our supporters would never want to see us lose a game. It is important for the club to be in the Europa League and to try to win a trophy.
“We need to think positively about it. We feel very disappointed we can’t go further in the Champions League, but it’s a chance to be alive in another competition.”