Woodgate faces final chance
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has said that centre back Jonathan Woodgate has one last chance to keep his Premier League career alive.
Woodgate has been out of the game due to injury since last November. He battled his way through the pre-season schedule with a groin injury and Redknapp says he may be forced to retire if his next surgical operation does not go to plan.
Woodgate signed for Spurs in 2008 and has played only 49 times in two years for the club. In that time Tottenham have managed to cope without him and there is a tremendous amount of pressure on the Englishman.
Woodgate still possesses enough skill and quality to do a job in the Tottenham team but his time is quickly running out. There will be people who says he would be better off going to another club or retiring as Spurs have clearly moved on.
Skill and quality
Woodgate has displayed enough skill and quality during his career to win eight England caps and he even enjoyed three years as a Real Madrid player between 2004 and 2007.
The fact that he is still fighting to get fit and get into the Spurs team shows he has ambition and plenty of drive. A lot of players would have given up by now but this does not seem an option for Woodgate and he'll probably keep going until Spurs release him or a doctor tells him he cannot play again.
Woodgate has always been very good when playing against bigger physical strikers. Unfortunately this has placed additional strain and pressure on his body, and he has been able to win balls in the air and be quicker to the ball against sluggish front men.
Redknapp said: "He's such a good player and a great lad as well. He's been all round the world really, trying to find a cure for this groin problem. He's seen two specialists and he's going to get one more opinion, but they seem to be of the opinion that the only chance is an operation."
Moved on
The biggest problem that Woodgate faces other than his own fitness is that Spurs have moved on as a defensive unit. The likes of Michael Dawson and Ledley King are now the main defenders at the club and Woodgate would have his work cut out to get a place, even if he was fully fit.
This suggests that Spurs do not really need him and he would only be used as a squad player. This may feel like a kick in the teeth to a player who has worked hard to overcome injury and hence he could be forced to move to another club.
Redknapp added: "If he has the op then he's going to be out for quite a long time again before he'll be fit to play. But whatever it takes, we'll back him 100 per cent. We'd love to see him back – It's amazing. He just can't find a cure for it at the moment, and the operation seems the last chance."
Betting advice
There is no doubt that Woodgate would give Spurs additional cover in the defensive area and ultimately make the defence stronger. However, this is one area of the team that Redknapp does not need to be concerned with as he has a few options.
If Woodgate does eventually make it back at some point this season, he will only enhance Spurs' chances of conceding fewer goals. This will mean they lose fewer matches and will start striking up more wins. Keep this in mind when you back them in the future.
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