Spurs boss sees brighter future for Bentley

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is optimistic that misfit midfielder David Bentley may have turned the corner at White Hart Lane after inspiring his team to victory over Everton in the fourth round of the League Cup.

The former Blackburn star created the first of Spurs’ goals in a 2-0 win on Tuesday which heaps more pressure on disgruntled Toffees manager David Moyes, who refused to turn up to the post-match press conference.

“His (Bentley) attitude in training has not been as good as it could have been, I’ve told him and he accepts it, but I thought he was fantastic here,” Redknapp said of his inconsistent midfielder.

“He’s a decent boy with great ability but with Aaron Lennon playing so well I think he couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.

“He got the opportunity and took it with both hands. It will be very hard not to play him at the Emirates,” the ex-West Ham boss said, referring to Saturday’s north London derby with Arsenal.

“It all depends on David Bentley. It’s up to him to keep performing like that, whether he wants to stay or leave, but I want to keep him.”

Former Arsenal player Bentley was named the man-of-the-match but admitted when picking up his award that his attitude had been questionable of late, claiming that his mind had wandered away from football.

“It’s been a difficult time since I’ve been here. I’ve encountered every problem in the book and it’s just nice to get my head down now and hopefully concentrate on football,” he said.

“I just looked to enjoy myself and give 100 per cent. Sometimes my efforts have been lacking at times because I haven’t been fully focused on football.”

The 15-million-pound man had looked threatening in the early stages of Tuesday’s victory without an end product, and it was no surprise that when he found his range Spurs took the lead.

His curling ball into the box evaded everyone until it reached Tom Huddlestone at the far post, the former Derby man smashing an emphatic left-foot drive past Tim Howard in the Everton goal.

Victory was sealed by Ireland’s Robbie Keane who scrambled home a volley after Tim Howard had saved the striker’s penalty kick, inspiring the White Hart Lane faithful to believe they could make it three finals in as many years.

Redknapp admitted that the team’s performance had given him a headache after rare starters Roman Pavlyuchenko, Gareth Bale and Alan Hutton all impressed.

“Hutton worked hard and has given me a nice problem for Saturday, it’s an interesting selection problem,” he said.

“(Jonathan) Woodgate has had a scan and there’s no fracture of the cheekbone but I don’t know if he’ll be fit for the weekend. Pavlyuchenko did OK but Crouch will be available hopefully,” the former Portsmouth boss added.

Moyes was reportedly furious that his Everton team had not been given an extra day to recover after playing Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday and Bolton in the Premier League on Sunday.

His refusal to talk to the press was apparently a protest at the cup’s organisers but now his attention must turn to trying to reverse his team’s poor start to the season.

Moyes’s thin squad has been exposed by injury, particularly by those to key players Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta, and a third defeat in six days, including a 5-0 drubbing by Benfica, signals a mini-crisis at Goodison.