Wenger: Eduardo Not Ready For FA Cup Return

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that Croatian International striker Eduardo is not ready to return to action for the Gunners in their FA Cup third round clash with Championship side Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

25-year-old Eduardo made his comeback after breaking his leg in February for the Premier League club in a reserve match against Portsmouth last month. The Brazilian-born forward played 45 minutes of the clash before being taken off at halftime as a precaution with a slight hamstring problem.

However, Wenger has insisted that Eduardo will be back playing for Arsenal by the end of January and that the former Dinamo Zagreb player is keen for a return to action at the Emirates Stadium as soon as the striker regains full fitness.

Wenger said: “Eduardo will not come back yet. It is still a bit early because he has to get his fitness back.

“He is fantastically keen and a dream to work with but when you have been out for nine months it takes some time to come back to your best form.”

It is thought that Wenger will utilise his squad against Plymouth on Saturday, with the Frenchman likely to play his fringe players against a side that is 15th in the Championship.

Injury Blow For Spurs Boss Redknapp As Modric Ruled Out For Two Weeks

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Tottenham Hotspur’s Croatian International Luka Modric has suffered a groin injury and will be missing from Harry Redknapp’s Spurs side for at least two-weeks.

23-year-old Modric, who was a £16.5million summer signing from Dinamo Zagreb was injured in the Premier League defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday, where the Croatian playmaker was taken off at half-time.

Modric will now miss the Premiership matches at White Hart Lane against Blackburn Rovers and Everton as well as an away tie in the UEFA Cup against NEC Nijmegen. This will come as a blow to former Portsmouth boss Redknapp, who has pledged to build the team around Modric and will now have to do without the midfielder for this crucial series of games in the North London clubs season.

A statement on the club's official website read: “An MRI scan has revealed that Luka Modric has suffered a partially torn groin muscle. He was forced off with the injury at half-time in Saturday's match with Fulham and is expected to be sidelined for up to two weeks.”

Spurs Striker Bent: England Call-Up Would Be A Bonus

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent has played down a recall to Fabio Capello’s England team, with the forward insisting that if he continues to play well for Spurs then the chance to add to his three England caps will follow.

24-year-old Bent has been in fine goal-scoring form for Tottenham this season, with the former Charlton Athletic forward already finding the net 11 times so far this campaign in all competitions.

Bent’s haul of 11 goals includes his first hat-trick for Tottenham in the UEFA Cup against Dinamo Zagreb last Thursday, which the £16.5million signing from the Addicks followed up with a brace against Manchester City at the Eastlands Stadium on Sunday in the Premier League.

However, after a tricky start to his career at the North London club, Bent is keeping his feet firmly on the ground throughout this rich vein of form, with the striker, who finally seems to have rediscovered the touch that prompted Spurs to pay so much to bring him to White Hart Lane aware that you cannot please everyone all the time.

“I am doing as well as I can do and your not always going to be able to please everyone,” Bent told Sky Sports News.

“There are always going to be people who have their doubts and critics, as long as I know I can do what I can do and giving 110 per cent every game then that is all anyone can ask of me.

“I always said in my career that if I get an England call-up, it would be a bonus to me - I am not just going to set my sights on just England, because it doesn't work like that - the only way I will play for England is playing well for Tottenham, as long as I keep playing well for Tottenham then England will come.”

Spurs Starlet Bostock: I Think Harry Likes Me

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Tottenham Hotspur’s teenage starlet John Bostock feels that with new manager Harry Redknapp in charge at White Hart Lane he has a real chance of fighting for a first-team place at the North London club.

16-year-old Bostock arrived at Tottenham in the summer from Championship side Crystal Palace for an initial £700,000 fee set by a tribunal, but did not feature for Spurs at all under previous boss Juande Ramos.

However, Redknapp surprised Bostock by bringing the England Under-17 International into the fold of the senior squad on Monday and then by giving the youngster a place on the bench against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Cup on Thursday.

Bostock then capped off a whirlwind week by becoming the youngest ever player to play a competitive match for Spurs when Redknapp brought Bostock on as a late substitute in the 4-0 rout of Zagreb. Bostock now intends to continue working hard to stay in and around the first-team squad at White Hart Lane, but did reveal that he thought Redknapp liked him.

“I was only introduced to Harry on Monday but it seems like he has taken a liking to me. I am really looking forward to playing under him,” Bostock told setantasports.com.

“I am really hopeful for the future now. I have just got to keep working and keep training hard and hopefully I can stay in and around the squad.

“I only started training with the first team on Monday,” he added. “So it was an absolutely amazing feeling to get on the pitch and play for a humongous club like Tottenham Hotspur.

“The fans were amazing when I came on, and that really lifts your confidence as a player - to have them on your side really helps a lot.”

The young starlet also revealed that it was not a surprise to him that Ramos was shown the door at Tottenham, with Bostock taking the philosophical approach that in football things are always changing.

“Football is always changing and you have to adapt to what happens,” he added.

Modric: I Want To Be Loved At Spurs Like Hoddle & Gazza

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Tottenham Hotspur summer signing Luka Modric has revealed that he intends to be loved by the fans at White Hart Lane in the same way that previous Spurs legends like Glenn Hoddle and Paul Gascoigne were by putting in the performances to show that he is “worthy” of all the expectation following his £16.5million summer transfer from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer.

New Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has already revealed that he intends to build a team around the Croatian playmaker, with the former Portsmouth manager deciding to deploy Modric just behind either Darren Bent or Roman Pavlyuchenko in his first three matches in charge at the North London club.

Modric, who looked a shadow of the player on show at EURO 2008 when he arrived at Tottenham has flourished in his new found freedom under Redknapp, with Spurs unbeaten under Redknapp after wins over Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers and the 4-4 North London derby thriller with Arsenal at the Emirates.

The 23-year-old Croatian International has admitted to feeling a little pressure from recent compliments, but hopes that his performances for Spurs can one day earn him the status at White Hart Lane of previous Tottenham greats.

“I will try to play my best game so that in a couple of months or a year, the fans can love me like the other players [such as Hoddle & Gascoigne],” said Modric.

“I feel some pressure from all these compliments. But I feel self-confident and have to show on the pitch I’m worthy of all the expectations.”

Redknapp: I Have To Build Tottenham Around Modric

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New Tottenham Hotspur manger Harry Redknapp has revealed that he is to build the Spurs team around Croatian International Luka Modric (below) ahead of the crunch UEFA Cup clash against the former playmakers club Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday.

The former Portsmouth boss also hailed the quality of Croatian players, having worked closely with Niko Kranjcar at Fratton Park and bringing former International and now Croatian coach Slaven Bilic along with Igor Stimac to the Premier League, while in charge of West Ham United.

Redknapp is delighted to have Croatian’s Modric and defender Vedran Corluka, also a former Zagreb player in his squad at White Hart Lane. However, Corluka will miss the clash against his former club, as he is cup-tied. Modric is set for a key role against the side he left in the summer, but with Roman Pavlyuchenko also cup-tied Redknapp has revealed that there will be changes for the European game.

“I saw Nico [Kranjcar of Portsmouth] last week," he told Sportskenovosti.

“He's back playing which is good as he's now over his injury.

“He's a great boy, a really good person and a fantastic footballer. Modric is also a fantastic footballer and I have to build a team around him to play with him.

“We have to get him the ball as he's an amazing player. He's a special footballer and has got amazing ability like a lot of Croatian players.

“They have produced so many great players over the years. I love Croatians, every boy from Croatia I have had has just been special. I can honestly say that.

“Slaven [Bilic] was fantastic, Igor [Stimac] too at West Ham was fantastic player. Robert Prosinecki was a genius.

“We have to win at home and make sure we win. If we win this game, one more win will get us through then we can think about the league again.

“It's important we keep picking up good results and keep winning for the confidence.

“We don't want to get beaten on Thursday. I'll change the team and give players a chance who haven't played.”