The winger made his first start since December in the FA Cup win over Everton, having come off the bench in the last two league games.
Iraola remains hopeful of more players returning soon, but Tavernier’s smooth recovery has already strengthened the team.
Coach Iraola told the Daily Echo: “I think his injury has gone quite smoothly.
“It has been a muscle injury, he has come back when we expected.
“He has played some minutes during a couple of games. Today was his first start and I think also he has finished it quite strong. And I'm happy now because always after the muscle injuries you are careful.
“And I think he has helped us from the bench, today from the starting 11 and he is an important player for us because we talked about this, he can play different positions and in a moment where we don't have a lot of players, these kind of players are valuable.”