Tottenham will be without star wide-man Gareth Bale for Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with AC Milan.
Bale has been sidelined with a back problem in recent weeks but had been expected to recover in time for the first leg of their last-16 tie with current Serie A leaders Milan.
However, the Welshman, who burst on to the European scene when he scored a hat-trick at Inter Milan during the group stage, was still troubled by the problem following a training session on Sunday, and Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has now confirmed he will not risk the 21-year-old.
Redknapp told Sky Sports News: “I'd like to be able to scare Milan and say he's going to be available, but he's not. He's struggling to get over this back injury.
“The specialists don't see too much of a problem there. There's nothing that should keep him out too long.
“They looked at (Peter) Crouch's back and he has an epidural and Gareth had similar problems. Crouch's looked an awful lot worse.
“Gareth's has taken a little bit longer to heal. We've got to make sure he's right. He's a young lad and he's very important. He's got a great future in front of him.”