Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Erik Lamela has acknowledged that he is pushing hard to benefit from a full pre-season.

In November, Lamela ended 13 months on the sidelines with a long-standing injury, with the Argentine going on to make 33 appearances last season.

Lamela has shown little ill-effects from spending a prolonged period away from the pitch, but the playmaker admits that he is hopeful that completing a pre-season programme can only help him improve during the upcoming campaign.

The 26-year-old told Sky Sports News: "I am ready for the next season. I am preparing in training to try to arrive at my best fitness and condition to play.

"It was difficult, for one year and two months I stopped playing football and it was really hard for me but now it is different, now I am ready, I am training normally with the team and this is very important for me."

Lamela recently penned a new long-term contract with the North London outfit.