Tottenham vs Norwich: Ryan Mason returns for Spurs as injury list eases

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ryan Mason is available for selection for the Boxing Day [26 December] visit of Norwich City after recovery from an ankle injury. The England international has been out since November's goalless draw with Chelsea, missing the club's last four games.

The 24-year-old spent a spell out of the first team with a knee problem suffered in the win at Sunderland in September but has still been able to make 10 Premier League appearances this term. Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele have meanwhile occupied the roles at the base of the Spurs midfield with aplomb, during a run of one defeat in the club's last 16 top-flight games.

Clinton N'Jie and Alex Pritchard are the only names on the Tottenham injury list, with both players having undergone surgery on knee and ankle injuries and not expected back until the New Year. That leaves Pochettino will a near-fully fit squad heading into the busy festive period.

"We have very good news," he told a pre-match press conference, according to the club's official Twitter page. "Ryan Mason has trained this week and is available if I decide to pick him. Clinton N'Jie and Alex Pritchard are still out. Everyone else in the squad is available for selection."

One player whose return to the first team appears unlikely for the post-Christmas visit of Norwich is Andros Townsend, who played for the Tottenham Under-21s for the fourth time in a row in the Premier League International Cup win over FC Porto. The England winger has not played since October after falling out with fitness coach Nathan Gardiner and has seemingly been banished to the reserve side on a long-term basis.

Pochettino says the player is available for selection again following the fracas. However, despite having his temperament praised by Tottenham's Under-21 coach Ugo Ehiogu he appears no closer to returning to first team duties.