• Premier League

Huddlestone fires parting shot at AVB

Tom Huddlestone joined Hull earlier this week for £5.25 million © Getty Images

Enlarge

Tom Huddlestone has taken a parting shot at Andre Villas-Boas by accusing his former manager of forcing him out of Tottenham Hotspur.

Huddlestone, who joined Hull for a club-record £5.25 million earlier this week, claims Villas-Boas is trying to destroy the British culture that his predecessor Harry Redknapp fostered at White Hart Lane.

Jake Livermore has joined Huddlestone, 26, at Hull while Jermaine Jenas left for Queens Park Rangers in January with Scott Parker close to a reunion with Redknapp at Loftus Road. Villas-Boas has started to reshape his midfield by bringing in Paulinho, the Brazilian international, from Corinthians and Etienne Capoue from Toulouse.

Huddlestone was a regular starter under Redknapp, but slipped down the pecking order under Villas-Boas last season and feels like he should have been more of a regular feature in the Spurs side.

"I didn't get a fair crack of the whip," Huddlestone said. "I played games where results were good and I felt my own personal performances were good, but then I would find myself out of the team for six or seven weeks without any explanation.

"That was very disappointing, but I am not the type of lad to go knocking on the manager's door demanding answers on a Monday morning.

"I know people go on about my injuries, but I was fit and available for most of last season. So it was frustrating not to get more game time. I knew the manager would be happy for me to go if the right bid came in.

"It's a revolving door down there. In my first few years the policy was to buy young British players - like me, Aaron Lennon, Gareth Bale, Michael Dawson and Jermaine Jenas.

"Now most of us have left and it seems like the club is going the other way round and bringing in established continental players."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd