Kyle Walker starts for Spurs U21s, unlikely to play against Chelsea

Tottenham fans have been waiting with baited breath for news about Kyle Walker's return to fitness. The speedy fullback has been out since before the end of last season, and the right back position has been a problem child ever since.

Don't expect Walker back in time for Wednesday's game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, however. Tottenham's official Twitter account tweeted that Kyle1 is starting today for Spurs' U21 match against Manchester City U21s.

Here's @kylewalker2 warming up at Stevenage. He starts for U21s vs @MCFC tonight as he continues his recovery. #COYS pic.twitter.com/hAp5hyb9Df

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 1, 2014

This shouldn't be too surprising. First, while it's great that he's back training and even better that he's back actually playing, it's really not good to rush a player who's coming back from a long-term injury. We saw what can happen when you do rush with a number of players over the past few seasons, including Younes Kaboul. Second, probably the worst thing you could do to a player like Kyle Walker is to throw him into the fire on his first EPL match against an undefeated Chelsea team away from home.

So assuming Walker is not playing Wednesday, we can probably expect to see either Vlad Chiriches, assuming his back injury isn't serious, or Kyle Naughton, who is returning from his two-game suspension for his most recent red card. I'm not sure I fancy either one against Eden Hazard, but they're what we've got. Get healthy soon, Kyle1.