Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that it is "impossible" for Erik Lamela to leave the club, amid reports that the attacker is hoping for a move away.
The Argentina international, who joined Spurs from Roma for £30m in 2014, has not featured for the Lilywhites since October due to a persistent hip injury which now requires surgery to rectify.
Lamela's long-term absence from the side led to talk that he may ply his trade away from North London next term, with AC Milan reportedly among those to show an interest, but Pochettino has laughed off suggestions that one of his key attacking players could be on his way out in the summer.
"That was so strange to hear. In the media Lamela is linked with different clubs - it's difficult for me to understand," he told reporters. "It's a player who has not played since October. And all that he is suffering in the last four or five months - do you think that he is thinking to move? That he is thinking to go to Italy? He is very happy here.
"The problems he has... he was desperate, and the club was desperate, to find the solution. But it made me laugh every time I heard all that in the media. Because it is impossible for him, impossible for the club, impossible for his agent, impossible for his people, to think about moving. Where?
"Now he needs help, and who better than us to help him in the next few months? I think you know better than me that it does not make sense. I don't believe it will be tough [to recover]. He is a person who likes to work hard. He is very professional.
"If he starts to feel good and fixes the problem - the pain he feels in his hip - the recovery will come quick and he will be on the pitch again training with us. He needs our love, our support, to be sure that all is going well. I hope all goes well on Saturday and then he starts to think about recovery as soon as possible."
Lamela featured 14 times for Spurs prior to picking up his injury earlier in the campaign, making a total of just six starts in the Premier League.
Daniel Lewis
