[ad_pod ]
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko's injury prognosis is better than first feared, with the France international now only expected to miss two weeks of action.
The London Evening Standard report that there is even an outside chance that Sissoko could play in next week's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg clash with Chelsea.
What's the word, then?
It had initially been feared that Sissoko would miss a month of football, leaving Spurs with just Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp as their specialist central midfielders.
However, there is now a chance that he will only be absent for this weekend's clash with Fulham.
CheekySport's Joel claims Spurs badly need to invest in January after not having "the balls" to beat Arsenal. Check out his uncensored opinion in the video below...
The news is a boost to Mauricio Pochettino, who has been rocked by a succession of injury blows, with the likes of Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama all currently on the treatment table.
However, it means that Skipp has a very limited window of opportunity in which to prove his worth to Pochettino if, indeed, he is selected to replace the Frenchman this weekend.
Good for Spurs, bad for Skipp
Skipp has made one start for Spurs in the Premier League so far this season, in the 1-0 win over Burnley, though he has been given opportunities to play during the club's Champions League campaign; he featured for 90 minutes against Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven.
But domestically he has largely been restricted to cameo appearances, playing 11 minutes against Everton, 13 against Bournemouth, 14 against Cardiff and just three versus Southampton.
His performances, however, have impressed, and it seems likely that he will be picked to replace Sissoko in this weekend's trip to Craven Cottage.
Thus, he is likely to have just 90 minutes to really establish himself in this Tottenham side and give Pochettino a headache before the clash with the Blues.
Should he turn in an assured performance, Skipp could well leave Sissoko on the bench even if the midfield destroyer is back to full fitness.