:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27388955/148583229.0.jpg)
Younes Kaboul is back in training, which everyone was thrilled to hear. Kaboul went 60 minutes in a friendly match this week, but don't expect to see him going 90 minutes in big matches for Tottenham Hotspur anytime soon. He's suffered multiple setbacks this season after being rushed back to action too soon, and Tim Sherwood is well aware of the need for Spurs to be patient with him.
"It will be good to get Younes back. We're very cautious. We need to make sure he's right before he comes back in because perhaps he's dipped back in a little bit too early on recent occasions, and then we're paying the price because he's out for another eight to 10 weeks. We don't want that to happen again. If we get him right now, we want him right until the end of the season because he could be vital for us."
When Kaboul was fully fit, he was Tottenham's best central defender. He's looked like he has a chance to become a star again in his limited appearances this year, but he hasn't put together a consistent string of matches before going back on the injury list.
There's no question that Tottenham can challenge for top four with Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen healthy, but it's good to know that Sherwood isn't rushing Kaboul back to action too quickly. Michael Dawson and Vlad Chiriches aren't an ideal pairing, but they're good enough to keep Spurs within reach of fourth between a tough test against Manchester City in just over a week and a trip to Stamford Bridge on March 8. There are a lot of somewhat tricky, but very winnable games in the stretch between those two fixtures, so there's no reason to throw Kaboul (or Vertonghen, or Sandro) into the fire before he's 100 percent fit.
