• Premier League

Redknapp considers Adebayor and Van der Vaart gambles

ESPN staff
October 12, 2011
Both Niko Kranjcar and Emmanuel Adebayor are doubts for Newcastle © PA Photos
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Harry Redknapp has admitted both Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael van der Vaart are doubts for Tottenham's weekend fixture against Newcastle United.

Redknapp confirmed that Adebayor, on loan from Manchester City, is currently struggling with a slight hamstring niggle - a problem he played through in the recent derby victory against Arsenal.

Redknapp believes the Togolese striker is capable of playing against Newcastle on Sunday, but the Spurs manager is wary of selecting him for fear of aggravating the injury and seeing him ruled out for a number of months.

"He has got a bit of a hamstring (problem),'' Redknapp told Sky Sports News. "He played on with it last week. He did it in the first half against Arsenal and he played on, which is not easy. He did have a tear. It's touch and go for him really.

"It's a dangerous one. If he tears it badly, he has got a grade one tear if he makes a real mess of it and he could be out for six or seven weeks.

"It's a difficult one to risk him, but we will see how he feels. We will give him a couple of days yet, keep treating him and hopefully he could be okay.

"If he is a doubt, I wouldn't want to risk him. I wouldn't want to lose him long term.''

Van der Vaart is also a doubt with the same problem, after what has become a frequent issue for the creative midfielder reared its head once again while on international duty with the Netherlands.

"He sometimes has a problem with that,'' said Redknapp. "He has had a few hamstring (injuries) since he's been with us, but he's important to us - he scores goals. He's an amazing finisher."

Redknapp also revealed that Sandro, Niko Kranjcar and Vedran Corluka will all need to prove their fitness before the weekend after picking up injuries while on international duty, while on-loan West Ham midfielder David Bentley is also set for six months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on his knee.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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