Sandro is closing in on a first-team return for Tottenham after more than two months out and could even be included in the squad for Thursday's Europa League tie against Dnipro.

The Brazilian midfielder has not played for the senior side since December 15, when Spurs were beaten 5-0 at home by Liverpool in what proved to be Andre Villas-Boas' final game as head coach. Sandro was forced to come off with a calf injury in that fixture and has had a number of minor setbacks as he has tried to fight his way back towards full fitness.

There were fears that Sandro's return would suffer a significant delay after he was taken off early in the second half of a comeback game for Tottenham's Under-21 side last week but it is believed this was a precautionary measure.

Since then, Standard Sport understands Sandro came through a practice match during a training session in the latter part of last week, and the 24-year-old felt confident enough about his condition to tell head coach Tim Sherwood he was ready to be included in the squad for the match at Norwich two days ago.

Sandro is thought to have felt able to play at least a half at Carrow Road but, given the interruptions of the last two months, the Tottenham coaching staff decided to err on the side of caution.

That might be the policy again in the Dnipro match, in which Spurs trail 1-0 after last week's first leg in Ukraine, although if Sandro continues to train well this week, Sherwood will be tempted to name him among the substitutes. With Etienne Capoue sustaining an ankle injury in the defeat at Norwich, it is now more important than before for Sherwood to recover Sandro, especially if Spurs persist with the 4-3-3 system favoured in the last three matches.

Sandro's return should also pep up a team who have appeared listless at times in the last two matches. Against Norwich, Spurs lacked the drive and personality of a player like Sandro, who was developing into one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League before he damaged cruciate ligaments in January 2013. He is a popular member of the first-team squad and the kind of player whose all-action style gees up team-mates and supporters alike.

Sandro is also keen to make up for lost time and force his way into the Brazilian World Cup squad during the second half of the campaign. With Lucas Leiva, of Liverpool, suffering a knee injury last month, there is a potential vacancy in the squad as Luiz Gustavo's deputy in the holding midfield role.