Tottenham Hotspur manager worried over Rafael van der Vaart
Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp says that he is concerned over the fitness of Rafael van der Vaart after the midfielder was forced off the pitch in the 2-1 English Premier League win over Liverpool on Sunday 28 November.
The Holland international was substituted after playing just 12 minutes of the match and is set to be out for several weeks after it was revealed that he tore his hamstring.
Although Van der Vaart has missed a few games with minor knocks ― including the 3-0 win over German side Werder Bremen in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday 24 November ― he has been a revelation at White Hart Lane since making the switch from Real Madrid
on transfer deadline day for a fee of eight million pounds.
The 27-year-old has scored seven goals in 14 games across all competitions, and has helped Spurs to fifth spot in the EPL as well as aiding them to qualification for the first knockout stage of the Champions League.
As a result, he will be sorely missed during his time on the sidelines and Redknapp is concerned that the attacker will be out of action for a lengthy spell. He told reporters: “Rafael has torn a hamstring, so that does not look too good. He's going to be
out. He'll have a scan. He keeps picking up injuries, little injuries. He's a fantastic footballer and he's important to us, we need him.”
Spurs are likely to be missing Van der Vaart for crunch league games against Birmingham City, defending champions Chelsea and Blackpool, as well as the Champions League tie with FC Twente as they bid to pip Inter Milan to top spot in their group.
Redknapp is also likely to be without Younes Kaboul for the next few games after the defender picked up a hip problem in the Liverpool game.
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