Danny Rose, who has returned to  Tottenham Hotspur following a loan spell at Sunderland last season, claimed that Redknapp picked on reputation rather than form, and praised Andre Villas-Boas for having the courage to drop lazy players.

The 23-year-old has been Andre Villas-Boas’s preferred choice ahead of Benoit Assou-Ekotto in pre-season and looks set to get the opportunity to prove himself when they kick off their season at Crystal Palace next weekend.

He said: ‘In the past I’ve never been able to compete fairly with Benoit, and Benoit’s been outstanding for the last three or four years. But now we’ve got a manager who treats people fairly and he’s not afraid to drop people if you’re not performing, so I hope that can work well for me this season.

‘I train hard and every game I played I feel I’ve worked hard, so I hope that can stand me in good stead for Palace next week.

‘It’s not nice when you train hard every day and people have been allowed to sack training off and still be in the starting 11.

'Obviously I know Spurs have been in the top four or five clubs for the last five seasons or so, so I know it’s hard for anyone to break through. But at the same time it is frustrating. It’s great that now the gaffer is not afraid to drop people if you’re not performing or training hard enough.’

Rose impressed while on loan at Sunderland last season and their manager Paolo Di Canio was keen to keep him.

But Rose who has had temporary spells at Bristol City, Peterborough and Watford since he joined Spurs in 2007, insists he will leave the club rather than go on loan again. ‘I wouldn’t be going on loan again,’ he added.

‘If I wasn’t playing then a loan’s not an option for me now. I want to get settled somewhere, playing week in week out.’