Tottenham's Erik Lamela requires hip surgery and will miss the rest of the season

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that forward Erik Lamela requires surgery on his troublesome hip injury will be out for the rest of the 2016-17 season.

The Argentine hasn’t played since the EFL Cup loss to Liverpool at Anfield on October 25, despite the initial prognosis suggesting he would only miss a few weeks.

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That clearly hasn’t been the case the 25-year-old spent a stint at former club Roma at the start of the year as part of his rehabilitation.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted he was unsure when the playmaker would be fit enough to return to the first team and now it won’t be until the beginning of next season at the earliest.

A club statement read: “Erik Lamela is to undergo surgery on his hip on Saturday. This will result in Erik returning to action next season.

“The Argentina international has undergone a comprehensive rehabilitation process following the injury in November.

“The player has achieved a good level of function, however, he has been unable to reach the stage required to make a full return to training.

“Therefore, following ongoing extensive consultation with specialists, surgery has been agreed by all as the best course of action.”

The decision will come as a bitter blow to Spurs because after suffering an injury-hit debut season at White Hart Lane, Lamela bounced back to become a key member of Pochettino’s starting line-up as Spurs secured a third place Premier League finish last term.