Striker Defoe had been expected to be sidelined for around three months when he underwent surgery on ankle ligament damage suffered during England's European Championship qualifier in Switzerland in September. But the 28-year-old recovered well ahead of schedule and on Tuesday trained fully with the rest of the Spurs squad not on international duty. It is unclear whether Defoe will be risked for Saturday's north London derby at The Emirates. But his return to full training could hardly be more timely, coming just 24 hours after Tottenham revealed Tom Huddlestone was set to undergo ankle surgery and would be out for around three months. The loss of key midfielder Huddlestone was a huge blow at a time when Spurs face key Premier League games against Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea and clashes with Werder Bremen and FC Twente that will decide their Champions League fate.
