Younes Kaboul moved a step closer to making his return to first team action after he played an hour for the Tottenham Under-21 side in their 1-1 draw with West Ham on Monday night.

The France international picked up a knee injury after the first game of the season against Newcastle and has since been working hard to try and return to action before the end of the campaign.

Younes Kaboul
Younes Kaboul has been out of action for Spurs since the first game of the season. [Reuters]

With Spurs fighting to grab a place in the top four, it would be a major bonus for manager Andre Villas-Boas to be able to call upon the 27-year-old for some of the crunch games over the next month.

Kaboul was one of the outstanding performers in defence for Tottenham last season, but after undergoing surgery back in August, he has been stuck on the sidelines struggling to complete his rehabilitation from the injury.

However, he made his comeback for the Under-21's and was able to get through an hour as he looks to prove his fitness and force his way back into contention for a place in the first team.

It was certainly not an easy night for the French defender who was competing against two strikers looking to push for regular first team football at West Ham in Wellington Paulista and Modibo Maiga.

Kaboul showed few signs of rust and was quickly able to adapt to the pace of the game as Tottenham looked to maintain their advantage at the top of the Elite Group.

West Ham did open the scoring through the Brazilian Paulista, but Spurs were able to find a first half equaliser from winger Kenneth McEvoy to move nine points clear of Liverpool in second.

Tottenham have been able to cope well without Kaboul as summer signing Jan Vertonghen has quickly adapted to life in the Premier League. Villas-Boas has also been able to call upon William Gallas and Steven Caulker, while Michael Dawson has also forced his way back into contention.

But with just six games remaining in the league it is vital that Tottenham do not drop points as they compete with Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton for a place in next season's Champions League.

With huge games against Manchester City and Chelsea still to come, Kaboul may hope to prove his fitness and have some say in Tottenham securing a place in Europe's elite competition.