LONDON -- Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has offered no guarantees that Erik Lamela will play again this season.
Lamela has not featured since October because of a hip problem. He has since spent time in Buenos Aires on compassionate leave and in Rome, where he received treatment at his former club AS Roma.
The Argentina international has been back in London for six weeks and a scan before he returned revealed no serious damage.
Pochettino said Lamela's absence had nothing to do with the family issue that had forced him to return to his homeland in December but refused to put a timeframe on his return.
"I can't say one two weeks three weeks one month or maybe next season -- I don't know," the manager told a news conference.
"We are assessing him every day. We hope he can be available again as soon as possible as that is our idea, but we can't give any more information."
Pochettino will also be without defender Danny Rose for Sunday's home FA Cup quarterfinal against League One side Millwall, but the club have said he is expected to return from a knee injury in early April.
"I cannot give the date but we are happy he [Rose] is doing well with his recovery," he said.
"We will see if in two, three weeks he can be available to stay with the group and train and see when he can compete and be ready again.
Millwall's visit to White Hart Lane is expected to the last cup game at the stadium before it is demolished in the summer, and the South London side have already beaten Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester City in the competition.
Pochettino said: "It is another London derby and we were watching all the games -- they fully deserve to be in the quarterfinal.
"They were better than the Premier League teams. We respect them. They are a very compact team.
"For us it is important because it is massive opportunity to play in the semifinal but first we have to play a tough, very difficult team."
Meanwhile, Pochettino said he did not feel sympathy for Arsene Wenger after the Arsenal manager faced calls to resign after the 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
"I know the business and I never expect my colleagues to feel sorry for me," he said. "If one day, I'm in the same position, that's business.
"My feelings, my emotions aren't important. I have full respect for him."