World Cup 2010: Tottenham Hotspur Manager Harry Redknapp - Aaron Lennon May Not Make South Africa
Spurs boss unsure of Lennon return date...
By Tim Ward
England's pacy wide-man was in superb form for Spurs earlier in the campaign and looked a certainty for Fabio Capello’s South Africa-bound squad before suffering a groin injury in December.
Redknapp confessed though that the former Leeds United player has not begun running after a series of setbacks and there is no scheduled return date for his midfielder.
"I could not sit here and say for sure if he will play again this season. There is absolutely no comeback date at all,” Redknapp told the Sun.
Lennon is a big loss to Spurs, who are chasing the final UEFA Champions League spot in the Premier League.
England also may well have to face up to the possibilty of embarking on their World Cup bid without Lennon in their ranks.
Lennon suffered an ankle problem against Stoke City in October and then injured his groin two months ago against West Ham United.
Become a fan of Goal.com's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
Hosted by Stephen Crawford & Adam Scime
We've had two tremendous matches today, so lets hope the intensity keeps up in the next clashes!
Until next time, this is LIVE commentator Stephen Crawford signing off.
From everyone here at Goal.com, thanks for joining us!
Here's the thoughts of Benfica coach Jorge Jesus, who felt his side deserved a point from the game.
"They were the better team on the night and that's the story of the day.
"We have to keep fighting, pick ourselves up, get the confidence back and challenge in the other competitions and in the second leg of this tie too.
"They punished us on every occasion; they scored some quality goals and they deserved to win."
Full story HERE
“The score made it look like it was an easy game, but it certainly wasn't.
(Strange... it looked pretty easy from where I was sitting, but hey.)
“I do not think it's over yet. I remember a clash between Milan and Deportivo la Coruna when Milan was also ahead by four goals, and in the end Deportivo eliminated Milan.
“I went into the Arsenal dressing room after the match to speak to Robin van Persie. I had agreed with him to swap shirts – my sons are big fans of his and he brought two for them. They will be delighted.
Van Bommel went on to talk about a possible move to PSV in the future, but was quick to point out his terms for the move.
“I've spoken with PSV, but we don't have an agreement yet. The club has to decide what they want.
“If Louis van Gaal turns out to be the new coach, I won't go.”
"Tonight everything went in the right direction and we did a very good match. You don't start a match thinking to win 4-0, but at the end i think we deserved it coz we played very well."
-
Champions League Player Ratings: AC Milan 4-0 Arsenal
Goals from Kevin-Prince Boateng, Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic handed the Italian side a victory that all but seals their progression to the next round of the competition
-
Champions League Player Ratings: Zenit 3-2 Benfica
Goal.com casts a studious eye over the performers at the Petrovsky Stadium as a late goal settles a thriller in the Russian's favour and sets up enthralling second leg
-
Serie A Player Ratings: Parma 0-0 Juventus
The Bianconeri missed a great chance to go back to the top of Serie A, but they caused the home side plenty of problems thanks mainly to Andrea Pirlo
-
Messi breaks Champions League knockout record
The Argentine, still only 24, is level with current record holders Raul and Andriy Shevchenko, but can surpass the two European greats with a solitary strike at Leverkusen tonight
-
Should 'Vanishing Spray' be introduced globally?
The spray, which has been designed to stop defensive walls from encroaching closer than 10 yards to the ball at free-kicks, is set to be discussed at next month's IFAB meeting
