Erik Lamela could start
Tottenham's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Norwich on Wednesday after training with the team on consecutive days for the first time under
Jose Mourinho.
Lamela was sidelined with a hamstring strain when Mourinho joined the club in late November and returned in a 2-2 draw with the Canaries on December 28.
Since late January, the winger has been plagued by a troublesome thigh problem, making his last start in a 2-1 win over Norwich, and he has been unable to train with the squad in the past fortnight, despite impressing from the bench in the defeat to RB Leipzig.
Mourinho said supporters must regard him as "an idiot" for not starting Lamela in the subsequent match, a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea when he set-up Spurs' only goal from the bench, but the winger was in too much pain to play any part against Wolves at the weekend.
"Then then next game [against Wolves], he couldn't even play one minute!" Mourinho said when reminded of his 'idiot' comment.
"I think it took me 40 days to have him training with us. He trained yesterday and today and that is probably the first time he has trained two days with me and the team. So in this moment I say he plays [vs Norwich].
"He starts or comes from the bench, but he plays Wednesday – unless he has some reaction before and he makes another decision.
"I don’t think I can [explain his injury]. I think it is an accumulation of situations that come for a long time. I don’t remember him training two days in a row like he did this week."
Lamela had double hip surgery in May 2017 to cure a problem that ultimately sidelined him for 14 months and Mourinho suggested his current difficulties are related to his past.
"He had two important surgeries and was out for a year longer," the Portuguese said. "He is that kind of player who can have a muscular problem. He is a player who needs to have his confidence levels very high to feel ready.
"He is a very explosive player who feels in order to perform he needs to be without any pain or problem. But I think Wednesday he can be OK.
"It’s difficult because to play you need to train well and if you cannot train well it is difficult to play. But it is a difficult process to manage for everyone, especially as he is a very talented player."
Mourinho has won silverware with every one of his previous clubs but he played down Tottenham's chances of winning a first FA Cup since 1991 and suggested this season was first and foremost about getting to know his players.
"It is the second time that I get the club in mid-season," he said. "Why does a club a change manager in the middle of the season? Because things are perfect? No.
So when I went to Porto the first half of the season was very hard. Very, very hard.
"I learnt a lot about the club in that period, I learnt a lot about the players. For example, whether [Eric] Dier is a centre-back or a No.6 for the rest of his career. The next season was better and the next season was better. This is my second experience of this.
"Of course we have objectives for this season, but with the difficulties we have, it’s a different way to look at things. But are we going to try to win against Norwich? Yes of course. Do we want to win the FA Cup? Yes of course."
