Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp will return to dugout at Vicarage Road
• Spurs manager will pick team for FA Cup tie
• Bond insists squad has been unaffected by absence
The Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp, will swap the dock for the dugout on Friday evening and his men will be fully prepared to beat Watford despite his absence from training this week, according to assistant manager Kevin Bond.
Bond and the first-team coaches Clive Allen and Joe Jordan have been in charge of training at the club’s Chigwell base this week while Redknapp has been contesting two charges of cheating the public purse at Southwark crown court.
Redknapp, who denies both charges, will be available to lead his team out in the FA Cup fourth-round tie against the Championship side, however. The 64-year-old will make the dash across London to Vicarage Road and will pick the team, Bond confirmed.
Redknapp’s assistant was keen to emphasise it has been a case of business as usual at the club this week despite the absence of the manager.
Tottenham coped well when they were without their manager for two weeks in November after he underwent a heart procedure and Bond insists Redknapp’s absence has not had any effect on the squad this week.
“Clearly the manager is not here, but [it has had] very little [effect] really,” Bond said. “The training carries on pretty much as normal and everybody has been getting on with things as normal so there’s not really a lot of difference except obviously Harry is not here during the day. He will be at the match and he will pick the team, of course.”
Bond and Redknapp usually make the 250-mile round trip from Dorset to Chigwell together, but the Spurs manager has been staying in London this week during the trial, which is expected to finish at the end of next week.
Gareth Bale (thigh), Scott Parker (hamstring) and Younes Kaboul (groin) are all doubts for the Watford tie, but it is likely that none of the trio would have played anyway as Redknapp is likely to rest several of his key players.
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