Tottenham Hotspur's on-loan defender Luka Vuskovic is close to a return to action with his injury not as bad as had been feared, according to journalist Tom Barclay.
The teenager left Tottenham to join Hamburg on a season-long loan deal last summer, and has impressed for the Bundesliga outfit, who are on course to just survive a relegation playoff in Germany's top flight.
His parent club are enjoying things a lot less right now, with Spurs currently lying in the Premier League relegation zone with five matches to play.
Roberto De Zerbi's men looked set to move out of the bottom three against Brighton and Hove Albion last Saturday, before Georginio Rutter's 95th-minute equaliser rescued a 2-2 draw for the Seagulls.
The Italian manager now knows his team have to take all three points for the first time since December 28 when they travel to already-relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday.
Spurs could find themselves eight points adrift of 16th-placed Nottingham Forest when they kick off in the west Midlands, should Vitor Pereira's men beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Friday night.
Vuskovic Due Back in Couple of Weeks
While Vuskovic is unable to help Tottenham in their current plight, he could be a hugely important player for the club in the future, and potentially as soon as next season.
The 19-year-old last played for Hamburg at the beginning of April, with Bild recently reporting that his knee was 'more severely damaged' than originally thought.
However, fears seem to have been eased and now Barclay has confirmed, posting on X, that he is actually set to return in a 'couple of weeks', rather than it being a long-term issue.
Hamburg have suffered in Vuskovic's absence by conceding seven goals in their last two Bundesliga matches, having only conceded seven in their previous five before that with the 19-year-old at the heart of their backline.
Vuskovic Could be Needed Next Season
The Croatian may still be young, but he has shown just how much potential he has playing regularly in the Bundesliga this season as a teenager.
As well as his impressive performances from a defensive point of view, the 19-year-old has also contributed an impressive five goals in 25 Bundesliga outings, showing he can be a threat in the final third too.
Tottenham will not want to lose Vuskovic permanently and to avoid that scenario happening, they need to integrate him into their first-team plans from next season.
Spurs could be left short at centre-back with rumours that Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven could both leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the end of the season, with the latter being targeted by both Liverpool and Manchester United.
Reports suggest that Radu Dragusin has also agreed to leave the north London outfit this summer, which means it is a position that needs to be bolstered.
You would think that Vuskovic would be more involved if Spurs did actually drop into the Championship, given experience could be key for them to move back up the table next term. But given what the Croatian has shown so far in the early stages of his career, it shouldn't be ruled out that he could help them in the Premier League too.