• Premier League

Spurs use blood spinning on Defoe

Jermain Defoe is set to start against Norwich © PA Photos

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Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has revealed his medical staff have turned to the controversial 'blood spinning' treatment in their bid to get leading scorer Jermain Defoe fit for Wednesday night's game at Norwich.

Defoe was sorely missed as Spurs were dumped out of the FA Cup by Leeds on Sunday, but he looks set to return to action at Carrow Road thanks to the intervention of medical science that has been the subject of much debate among Premier League managers.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is among those who have questioned the legitimacy of the blood spinning method of treatment, but Villas-Boas insists he has no problem with the practice that has got Defoe back to fitness in double quick time after a muscle tear.

"We believe in the treatment Jermain has been having and there is no danger that he will make the injury worse by what we have done," insisted Villas-Boas. "It is a technique that we have been using since the beginning of the season. It is not common but does happen from club to club

"You take out the blood from any part of the body and spin it around. The plasma comes to the top of the blood and you are able to inject it back into the body and that is the part of the blood that heals injuries. It accelerates the recovery process.

"Jermain had an scan and it was not too bad, so we decide that the injection was the right course of action. He will be with us at Norwich, so this is extremely important news for us."

Away from the Defoe controversy, Villas-Boas has welcomed Lewis Holtby to the club's training base in Enfield after his arrival from Schalke and he is predicting that the Germany international will be a big hit in the Premier League.

Born to an English father, Holtby's desire to play in the Premier League sparked a rush for his signature and the Tottenham manager is convinced his club sealed one of the best deals of this transfer window.

"We have high expectations for the player," said Villas-Boas of Holtby. "We were extremely lucky to get him here because there was competition from all over and we regard him as an excellent young talent who can play in many positions. He can play the No.10 position in midfield and the holding role as well.

"His English background should help him settle in as the culture of this country will not be a surprise to him and he gives us more attacking options. In some ways, you can compare him to Rafael van der Vaart, but Lewis still has all of his career ahead of him so we are excited to have him here."

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