Tottenham Hotspur Manager Harry Redknapp fears over Ledley King's fitness
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has shown his concerns over the fitness of his club captain Ledley King. The English centre-back has been prone to injury for a while now, and has made several comebacks in the last couple of years.
However, his condition refuses to stabilize and he remains a doubt to play in next game for the Spurs.
The 30-year-old has not been able to play more than a game a week for a while, and his recurring knee problems have been the major hindrance. King has also been hampered by the same problems on training grounds, and the manager
is concerned that constant problems with his defender may end his career prematurely.
Harry Redknapp was most concerned on Saturday, when King pulled up with a groin injury, and the manager said that it was déjà-vu all over again. He added that earlier it was his knee and now the groin; if this keeps happening,
King may be forced into early retirement. The former Portsmouth manager said that a big reason behind his injuries is that he is not able to train properly for longer periods. He said that the same thing has been going on for a number of years and a player’s
body can take only a certain number of injuries. Redknapp said that in the past, it was only his knee and there was always hope that after a good surgery he would be able to shrug it off and get himself fit, but now with multiple problems, it may not be that
easy for him to get back that quickly.
King was withdrawn from the match against Fulham that Tottenham won; Redknapp’s hand was forced just before half-time and the manager said that King may be out for a while now.
"It's such a shame for him; he's such a great player," added Redknapp.
"When you don't train, you pick up injuries. If I go out and start trying to sprint up that pitch now without training, I'm going to go and tear a hamstring, or do a groin, or do a calf or something.
"And that's Ledley's problem. He can't train."
The manager admitted that he was not sure before the game if he wanted to play King in the match or not. He said that it was a gamble but he wanted to play him with the intention of leaving him out of the Champions League match
midweek.
Redknapp said that he wanted to give King a rest midweek to keep him fresh for next week’s match against Everton, but now that looks unlikely and it would be a big loss to the team.
The latest injury to King now gives the manager a new problem: in 11 games this season in all competitions, Redknapp has tried out 11 different pairings. The manager believes that Ledley King and William Gallas are his best duo
in the centre of defence, but after just one match, the pair has once again been separated.
William Gallas, who came to the club as a free signing from Arsenal, has also had his share of injuries; the match against Fulham was also his first start of the season.
Harry Redknapp tried to look at the positive side of things, and said that losing King is a loss but the good thing is that Gallas looked good and should be able to lead the defence in later games.
The manager also said that he has been pleased with his team’s overall performance in the season, and said that this time around, he would have to pay extra attention to his entire squad as he has more games to concentrate on this
season with the Champions League also part of the calendar.
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