It is has been a positive return from the international break for Antonio Conte and his Tottenham team so far. Apart from Sergio Reguilon, who picked up a knock in training before the Newcastle tie, the Italian had the same players available that he did before the break.
Spurs' first game since the return of Premier League action was against Eddie Howe's side and the Lilywhites produced a solid performance to get a 5-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The victory has taken Conte's side into the top four, but there is still work to do with Arsenal being level on points and having a game in hand.
Spurs have eight games left to try and secure Champions League football for next season, with some tough fixtures still to come. Ahead of their next game, which is a trip to Villa Park, football.london takes a look at what was spotted in training.
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Ryan Sessegnon spotted
Oliver Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon have both now been missing for Spurs for a long spell of matches, but during his pre match press conference, Conte did provide a positive update. "Good news for Oliver, for Skippy and Sessegnon," he said.
"They are very, very close to being back with the team. They're improving a lot. They're having important training sessions. Not with the team, apart, but I hope next week to have both players with the team, Ryan Sessegnon and Oliver Skipp."
A further boost was provided as Sessegnon was spotted in Tottenham's training video ahead of the Aston Villa game. As the 52-year-old alluded to, the defender wasn't spotted within the session, but the fact he is back in and around the training facilities can only be a positive.
However there may be another setback for Skipp as reports on Wednesday suggested he felt discomfort during his return to outdoor training.
Son Heung-min's new skill
Son has always been one of the jokers around the Spurs camp and during the most recent training session, this was no different. Whilst the South Korean was trying to do some individual exercises, Emerson Royal stood right in front of him, as a distraction.
Son jokingly kneed the Brazilian to get them out the way and the duo laughed before Royal walked away. The 29-year-old was then given some golfing tips by Ben Davies, before the outdoor session began.
Golf is something that a number of the Tottenham squad enjoy, which the likes of Eric Dier and Matt Doherty have previously mentioned. Whilst Davies was on the exercise bike, the South Korean was stood next to him.
The Welshman was teaching him how to set-up for a golf shot, giving him advice on his stance and swing, before Son got on the bike next to him and their football session continued.
Healthy competition
The outdoor session consisted of the group being split into two, before undertaking a passing drill against each other. The aim was pass quickly and accurately to one another, around some obstacles and be the first one back at the starting spot.
This reiterated the good mood that had been seen throughout the whole training video, with smiles on the faces of the players who have looked like they are enjoying their football once again. The losing team of the drill were then made to do pushups before restarting.
Both teams saw victory during the drill, which made the winning side make fun of the losing opposition, with the likes of Lucas Moura and Davinson Sanchez doing celebratory dances. The drill not only seemed to make the session a bit more fun for the Spurs squad, but also will have helped them improve on their quick passing, needed to keep the intensity high during games.
