• Premier League

AVB: Adebayor could feature against City

Emmanuel Adebayor has not featured for Tottenham this season © PA Photos

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Andre Villas-Boas has revealed Emmanuel Adebayor is back in contention for a place in the Tottenham squad and may even feature this weekend away to Manchester City.

Adebayor has not made an appearance for Spurs so far this season, partly down to the manager's persistence in sticking with summer signing Roberto Soldado as a lone striker.

However, Villas-Boas admitted Adebayor was still very much in his thoughts and hinted the former City striker could play a part against his old club.

"Obviously Ade hasn't had the chance to get back into the team yet," Villas Boas said. "I'm sure that whenever that happens he will perform as well as the other ones.

"The three of them [including Roberto Soldado and Jermain Defoe] are competing extremely well in training. Our likely approach is to go with one up front. It's a decision that I have to take, which one I will choose. They are very near each other at the moment and it could be a possibility that even Ade could play that game.

"These are all decisions that we have to take. We don't have enough reasons at the moment not to trust Soldado and Defoe because they've been excellent, with great performances, goals and great goal tallies at the moment, so hopefully it's a decision that's best for the team and best for the strategy."

Meanwhile, Villas-Boas says he has addressed Jan Vertonghen's unwillingness to play left-back, and insists the centre-back position will be the Belgian's again as soon as Danny Rose returns from injury.

Vertonghen stated during the international break that the role "doesn't suit" him and that he just has to accept it, but the club "know how much" he wants to play centre-half.

The Belgian also said: "I think I have done enough to deserve a place there [at centre-back] now."

Villas-Boas concurs, and insists it is only the situation now because of injury to the nominal left-back Rose, who is expected to return in the next "two or three weeks".

"We spoke about this before," Villas-Boas said. "Jan is a central defender, he's one of the best central defenders in the world. Unfortunately, due to conditions, he has to sacrifice at the moment at left-back.

"It's not a new story so I'm not going to go along continuing it. I've spoken to him and the conversation is very open.

"The place at centre-back is his as soon as Danny Rose comes back, and he knows that, so at the moment it's a situation where for the good of the team he is competing with [Kyle] Naughton and Zeki [Fryers] and at the moment we have chosen him ahead of Naughton and Zeki.

"The best for the team is more important than anything else and at the moment it's a sacrifice he has to make. We understand that he makes that sacrifice and that's why we respect him a lot and that's why we have made him captain this season."

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