Zokora closing in on return

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Didier Zokora is recovering well from a mild bout of malaria and looks set to return to action within a fortnight.

The Ivory Coast international fell ill prior to Spurs' Uefa Cup clash against Besiktas last Thursday and was withdrawn from the starting line-up at the last minute.

Zokora also missed the 1-0 victory over West Ham on Sunday, but is now on the mend.

The club's official website confirmed that Zokora was responding well to treatment and could be back in action within two weeks.

The 25-year-old had played a key part in Tottenham's upturn in form before contracting malaria, but boss Martin Jol believes there is still room for improvement.

Victory over West Ham extended Spurs' unbeaten run to five games, but Jol reckons his team are still finding their feet following a slow start to the Premiership campaign.

"I feel that we are currently making steady progress and have demonstrated more stability and containment," he explained.

"We are still not the football machine I want us to be with so many individual parts working together efficiently - but that's for the future."

Source: http://home.skysports.com