Season over for Lamela

Tim Sherwood says record signing Erik
Lamela will not figure again this season
and still has plenty to prove at Tottenham
Hotspur.
Spurs splashed out £30million on the
Argentine playmaker last summer, but
have seen him offer little return on that
sizeable investment.
A debut campaign blighted by injury has
delivered just three Premier League starts
and one goal in all competitions - with that
coming in the Europa League.
He is unlikely to get the opportunity to
improve on that record before the
summer, with Sherwood claiming that a
back complaint will keep him on the
sidelines.
The Spurs boss has also sought to bring an
end to disruptive rumours suggesting that
he has been put under pressure to play
Lamela before the season comes to a close
- allowing him to work on fragile
confidence.
Sherwood said: "There'll be no chance
Erik's fit.
"I read in the paper, or someone told me,
that the hierarchy here are asking for him
to get more opportunities. Chance would
be a fine thing, he's injured."
Lamela has not figured for Spurs since
stepping off the bench against Stoke City
on 29th December - and for that reason
Sherwood believes it would be wrong of
him, and others, to pass judgement on
what he has to offer.
He added: "You know what, I haven't seen
enough of him. He's never been fit.
"I think he was fit for about three weeks
while I was in charge, and then he's been
out injured.
"That's still an unknown quantity as far as
I'm concerned. I've assessed the rest of
the squad and I've got my ideas on who's
capable and probably who's not. On Erik,
the jury's still out on him because I
haven't seen enough of him, so he's been
very unfortunate.
"I think the benefit he will have is he'll be
settled so he'll improve from that, but as
regards settling into the Premier League, I
think the jury's still out because he's not
played enough football."
On those branding the South American a
big-money flop, Sherwood said: "I think it's
unfair because obviously he has not been
fit, so it has been hard to judge.
"The price isn't his fault. He comes with a
huge price tag, but it is not Erik that sets
that price."