Tottenham Hotspur: Nabil Bentaleb plays down injury scare and is ready to get 'back to business'

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nabil Bentaleb has calmed fears he has suffered another injury, claiming he is ready to get "back to business" with his club in the Premier League. Bentaleb, 20, has missed Tottenham's last 13 games after suffering an ankle injury in early September. His last appearance for the club came back in August in a goalless draw with Everton.

Mauricio Pochettino has been cautious with bringing the player back, but Algeria manager Christian Gourcuff opted to call the midfielder up to his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania. Bentaleb came off the bench at half time to rescue a 2-2 draw for his side on Saturday 14 November, but appeared to have suffered a setback when he was taken off after just 36 minutes in Tuesday's return match appearing to injure his foot.

But according to the Evening Standard, the Algerian FA have assured fans that the decision to substitute the Spurs midfielder was not because of injury, but because he had been booked just 28 minutes into the contest.

Bentaleb has since posted a message on Instagram that appears to confirm he is returning to North London ready for game time. "Back to London after a great result yesterday with my boy [Watford midfielder Adlène Guedioura]. Back to Prem business!"

Bentaleb was one half of Pochettino's first-choice midfield – alongside Ryan Mason – last season and could be back in contention for the visit to West Ham United on Sunday.

Spurs will be without Erik Lamela for that game, with the Argentina international set to serve a one-match suspension. The 23-year-old also suffered an injury scare after a minor muscle problem saw him pull out of training early on 15 November, but he was fit enough to take a spot on the bench in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Colombia.