Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood says that misfiring record signing Erik Lamela will not be allowed to leave the club during the January transfer window.

Lamela signed for Spurs from Roma for a fee of £30 million ($49.4 million, 36.2 million euros) in August, but has since started just three Premier League games.

It has prompted reports that the 21-year-old Argentine forward could be set to follow Jermain Defoe out of the club, after the England striker signed for Toronto FC, but Sherwood has vowed that that will not happen.

"He won't be leaving on loan in this transfer window," Sherwood said.

"He has a big future here, absolutely. We know what a talented player Erik is. We also understand that players need time to settle.

"He needs time to acclimatise to this country. He doesn't speak English and he isn't used to the pace of the games, especially over the Christmas period when they come thick and fast.

"He is not 100 percent fit either. He's still feeling fatigued in one of his thighs, so we were very cautious with him.

"We are going to take it nice and steady with him. I really want to put him on the stage when he's ready to perform, rather than let people judge him when he's half-cocked."