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• Blow for Roy Hodgson as midfielder has achilles problem
• Manchester United defender Chris Smalling to miss finals

Scott Parker’s participation in the European Championship has been cast into doubt by a persistent achilles problem.

The midfielder, who has become such an integral part of the England team that he was named captain for their most recent outing, February’s friendly defeat by Holland, has barely featured in Tottenham Hotspur’s past three matches, managing only two minutes of action at the end of last week’s draw with Aston Villa.

The nature of his injury is making a prognosis difficult, but Roy Hodgson will be concerned that his first-choice options in the centre of midfield are becoming thinner with less than a month to go before England’s first game of the tournament against France in Donetsk on 11 June.

Parker’s club manager, Harry Redknapp, says that even though there is a chance that the midfielder could play a part in Sunday’s match against Fulham, he is likely to need treatment after that and the effectiveness of it and recovery time are uncertain. “At the moment he is struggling with fitness,” Redknapp said.

“He has not been fit for the last couple of weeks. It is not a rupture but it is sore. He is not going to train and we are going to see how he is and whether he could be available for the weekend. It is bothering him at the moment. After Sunday he will have some injections in it and see if that can clear it up. He’s been carrying it for a few weeks.

“Maybe the only cure is a bit of rest but maybe the injections might clear it up. The specialist thinks it will clear up but it will need around 10 days rest afterwards. We are hoping it will be OK.”

If everything goes according to that best-case scenario, Parker, right, would be available for England’s next match, the friendly against Norway on 26 May, but Redknapp admits that the plan may not hold. If Parker does not recover in time, Hodgson would have to explore alternative options for the midfield scrapper role, which, before Parker staked his claim, seemed set to be filled by Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere, whose absence all season from an ongoing ankle problem provides quite an extreme example of a player’s injury lingering for much longer than originally suspected.

Manchester City’s Gareth Barry is likely to be in prime position to step in if Parker misses out, with Hodgson to name his squad for Poland and Ukraine on Wednesday. England have two warm-up games, taking on Norway in Oslo before hosting Belgium at Wembley on 2 June.

One player who is certain to miss out is Chris Smalling due to a torn groin muscle. The Manchester United defender was by no means a certainty to make the final cut although, with the ability to cover at right-back, his versatility would have made him a strong option. The 22-year-old earned the last of his three caps against Holland in February. However, it was during that game that he suffered a nasty gash following a clash of heads with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, since when a series of minor problems have limited him to six United appearances. Smalling was also held responsible for Vincent Kompany’s crucial winner in last month’s Manchester derby, which looks set to send the Premier League title to the Etihad Stadium.

Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed: “Chris has had a bad injury from last week [in Sunday's 2-0 win over Swansea City]. We tried to take him off but Rio [Ferdinand] got a knock and he decided he could stay on, he thought. Smalling is going to miss the Euro Championships – [with] a torn groin muscle that we are assessing at the moment in terms of what we do with it. But certainly he’s got a bad injury.”

Hodgson has at least been boosted by the news that Danny Welbeck will be available. A foot injury has ruled him out of United’s final game of the season against Sunderland on Sunday, but Ferguson insisted that the striker would be fit to play in the Euros.

Martin Jol will make his first managerial return to White Hart Lane since he was sacked by Tottenham in October 2007 and his chances of exacting vengeance on his former club will be hampered by the absence of top scorer Clint Dempsey with a groin problem. Home manager Harry Redknapp has problems of his own to contend with, though, and he may be forced to play William Gallas out of position at left-back as Benoît Assou-Ekotto has a shoulder injury and Danny Rose is suspended after his sending-off at Aston Villa last week. Rich Flower

Venue White Hart Lane, Sunday 3pm

Tickets Sold out

Last season Tottenham 1 Fulham 0

Referee Phil Dowd

This season’s matches 27 Y103, R3, 3.93 cards per game

Odds Tottenham 5-12 Fulham 8-1 Draw 19-5

Tottenham

Subs from Cudicini, Saha, Giovani, Defoe, Livermore, Sandro, Nelsen, Khumalo, Fredericks, Smith, Bentley, Lancaster

Doubtful King (knee), Parker (achilles)

Injured Assou-Ekotto (shoulder, Aug), Dawson (ankle, Aug), Gomes (knee, Aug), Huddlestone (ankle, Aug), Jenas (achilles, Aug), Kranjcar (knee, Aug)

Suspended Rose (first of three)

Form guide DWWLLD

Disciplinary record Y45 R3

Leading scorer Adebayor 16

Fulham

Subs from Stockdale, Senderos, Briggs, Halliche, Kasami, Trotta, Kacaniklic, Gecov, Johnson, BH Riise, Trotta, Orlando Sá, Frei

Doubtful Kacaniklic (hamstring)

Injured Davies (hip, Aug), Dempsey (groin, Aug), Etheridge (knee, Aug), Etuhu (knee, Aug), Grygera (kne, Aug), Ruiz (foot, Aug), Sidwell (hernia, Aug)

Suspended None

Form guide WWLWDW

Disciplinary record Y52 R0

Leading scorer Dempsey 17

Match pointers

• Tottenham have lost at home to Fulham only once in a total of 27 meetings in all competitions (3-0 in the Premier League in August 2003) dating back to April 1948

• Fulham have failed to score in four of their past six league games against Tottenham, including each of the last three at White Hart Lane

• Nine different Tottenham players have received five or more yellow cards this season, more than any other side in the division

• Fulham are the only side not to be shown a red card this season – their last dismissal came on the final day of 2010-11

• If Tottenham win they will overtake Fulham in terms of points gathered from London derbies this season (Fulham currently have 12 to Tottenham’s 11)

• King will have operation in effort to extend his careeer
• 31-year-old has been beset by severe knee problems

The Tottenham Hotspur central defender Ledley King is set to undergo further knee surgery after the Premier League season ends on Sunday as he seeks to extend his playing career.

The 31-year-old club captain has been beset by severe knee problems in recent years and, although he is rarely able to train properly, he has managed 23 appearances for Spurs this season.

His problem was worsened after a training ground collision with a youth team goalkeeper recently and the Spurs manager Harry Redknapp confirmed on Thursday that the centre-back had been in pain since the incident.

Redknapp told The Times: “For the sake of the club and the team, he has tried to play on, but he has been playing in pain and his movement’s not been as good.

“Hopefully, we’ll get his knee cleared out in the summer and he will be right again. I’m sure the chairman [Daniel Levy] respects everything he has done for the club and we’d love to keep him around.”

King is regarded by many as one of the best English central defenders of his generation, along with John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, but injuries have restricted him to just 21 appearances for his country.

• ‘We can build a team that will be right there again next year’
• Fourth place may not be enough for Champions League spot

Harry Redknapp has urged Tottenham Hotspur to be bold in the transfer market this summer if they are to ensure they finish in the Premier League top four.

Spurs looked certain to qualify for next season’s Champions League until February but are now in a battle with Arsenal, Newcastle United and Chelsea for third and fourth place going into the final week of the campaign.

Redknapp told BBC Radio Five Live: “We’re a good side. If we’re bold in the summer, we can build a team again that can be right there again next year. The league is changing and a top-four position is very difficult to achieve.”

Tottenham are a point behind the third-placed Arsenal going into their final game of the season against Fulham on Sunday.

Only a top‑three finish will guarantee Champions League football for Spurs, with fourth coming into play providing Chelsea do not win this season’s final against Bayern Munich in Munich on 19 May.

It is a nailbiting end to what has been a rollercoaster season for Spurs and Redknapp, who was cleared of tax evasion in February and made favourite for the England job before it went last week to Roy Hodgson.

He said: “I’ll be glad when next week is over. It’s been a long old season.

“I just want to get in the Champions League and have a break and get away for a few days.

“It has been a hard year for me personally. What I went through with the court case was the most difficult thing I’ve ever faced in my life.

“It definitely takes a strain on you. I do tend to get on with things but there’s no doubt it has an effect.”

Redknapp reiterated he bore no grudges over the Football Association’s decision to overlook him for the England job.

“It was no hassle to me at all,” he said.

“It never really bothered me. When I heard that Roy had got the job on Sunday night, I went out.

“I didn’t go out feeling, ‘Oh my God’. I woke up the next morning and I was quite relieved in a way that I didn’t have a decision to make.”

Will Mario Balotelli’s absence win City the league, Clint Dempsey’s brilliance and the difference a minute makes

1) Mario Balotelli’s absence may have won the title for City

Mario Balotelli’s feckless, reckless and chaotic performance against Arsenal in April was the culmination of a period in which Manchester City had let a five-point league lead become an eight-point deficit in just over a month. By the end of the 1-0 defeat at the Emirates, the Italian, steam erupting kettle-like from his ears after the most hot-headed of performances, was sat in the dressing room having received his marching orders in the final minute of normal time. He was lucky to have lasted that long. By coincidence, just five minutes earlier, Carlos Tevez had returned from his farcical City exile to make a short cameo. The brief minutes the pair shared on the pitch were the moments in which, arguably, City’s season swung back from potential disaster to potential triumph.

Balotelli’s subsequent ban forced Roberto Mancini’s hand – he had to put Tevez back in the side despite all the disruption he has caused earlier in the season. Since that day, the Argentinian has played all of City’s five matches. They have won them all and Tevez has scored four. It was telling on Sunday that, with Balotelli available once again, he was not even in the squad, apparently for “tactical” reasons. The tactics appear to have worked. With the Italian nowhere near the side, City won again to both put a hand on the title and cast Balotelli’s future into doubt.

Meanwhile, on Sunday it was Yaya Touré who once again scored the vital goals. It means the midfielder has now arguably scored the four most important goals in the club’s recent history – the two today, the FA Cup-winning goal in 2011, and the FA Cup semi-final-winning goal against United that put them in the final in the first place. TB

2) Does anyone want Champions League football?

Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur or Newcastle United could have made a firm grab to secure Champions League football for next season. Not a single one of them took the opportunity. Arsenal drew at home with Norwich City, Tottenham somehow failed to beat a woeful Aston Villa side and Newcastle went down 2-0 to City. It means, inconceivably, Chelsea can still mathematically claim fourth spot, and either Spurs or Newcastle could pip Arsenal to third. Are the two remaining Champions League spots going to be settled by the team that chokes the least? TB

3) Clint Dempsey should be on a lot of summer shopping lists

Against Sunderland, Clint Dempsey thumped home his 17th league goal this season, his 23rd in all competitions. Quietly, he has gone about his business, breaking Louis Saha’s league scoring record for Fulham (which stood at 15) along the way. More impressive is that he has not been the club’s main attacking force. Frequently, he has operated out wide, supporting the likes of Bobby Zamora (before his move to QPR), Andy Johnson or Pavel Pogrebnyak. It is a versatility that has made him an attractive proposition to many bigger clubs, and Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have all been mentioned.

Dempsey, for his part, appears to be a man capable of handling the big games too: a goal in each of the derbies against Chelsea; a hat-trick in the 5-2 win over Newcastle; the winner against Liverpool in December – all big goals in games from which Fulham were not necessarily expected to profit. It is little surprise he was voted fourth in the Football Writer’s Association Footballer of the Year poll, ahead of the likes of David Silva, Gareth Bale and other bigger names. Fulham will be desperate to keep hold of him this summer; there will be plenty of suitors who hope they do not manage it. TB

4) Staying up is not something Aston Villa fans should be celebrating

One of the great joys of the league format is that surviving relegation is so often celebrated like a championship trophy. Despite a creditable 1-1 draw with Spurs, there was no such jubilation at Villa Park. Perhaps the overwhelming emotion was simple, inglorious relief, as the home side secured their Premier League status, barring a mathematical miracle. The sense of a narrow escape is borne out by the statistics: Villa were dominated, scraping 37% possession, and creating four chances to Spurs’ 22.

Despite the footballing gods apparently being with their team today, Villa capitulated. With Spurs reduced to 10 men, Richard Dunne’s needless challenge gave Spurs an easy route back into the game, following Ciaran Clark’s fortunate opener. Villa have now dropped 22 points from winning positions this season. Had they never relinquished a lead, Alex McLeish’s side would be one point behind Chelsea. If that were the case, furiously daubed banners would be in short supply in the Holte End.

The reality is that Villa have scored fewer than all but Stoke, and have won fewer games than doomed Blackburn. It is possible they will fail to reach 40 points, surviving only by others’ shortcomings. McLeish has been fighting an uphill battle since his move across the second city, yet he has done little to stem the tide of ill feeling. He has introduced several young, promising players, yet they have transferred from a vibrant, successful youth team to a dispirited first XI that is ritualistically set up simply to avoid defeat.

One protest sign unveiled at full time summed the fans’ feelings up: “It’s not where you came from, it’s where you’re taking us.” For now at least, the destination seems to be nowhere, rather than down. There may be hope for renewal somewhere amidst the frustration and recriminations, but McLeish seems the wrong man to lead the recovery. NM

5) Sixty seconds that could shape two seasons

What a difference a minute makes. With 89 minutes on the clock at both the Reebok Stadium and Loftus Road, Bolton were beating West Bromwich and a dour QPR were drawing with Stoke City. As it stood in that moment, the London side remained in the relegation zone, with Owen Coyle’s team outside it and sitting on a potential two-point cushion. “Staying up!” sang the Bolton Wanderers crowd, filled with optimism after having gone 2-0 up midway through the second half.

And then suddenly in London, Djibril Cissé, on from the QPR bench and lurking at Stoke’s back post, tapped home. Just as suddenly, in Bolton, James Morrison tucked one in for West Bromwich, to add to Chris Brunt’s 75th-minute effort for the visitors. In the space of 60-or-so seconds, QPR leapfrogged Wigan Athletic to go 16th while Bolton went back down to 18th, sickened. For QPR fans it means nervous, cautious optimism; for Bolton’s grim, jittery worry and for Blackburn – wedged down in 19th, four points adrift but with a game in hand – it means things look ominous indeed. TB

• Manager cites wage bill reduction as key factor this year
• Villa owner, Randy Lerner, ‘has been very supportive’

Alex McLeish believes he will be in charge of Aston Villa next season and has spoken of his conviction that he can win over the dissenting supporters who once again called for him to be dismissed after his side picked up a point against Tottenham Hotspur that effectively guarantees another year of Premier League football.

“Sack McLeish, my Lord” rang out moments after the final whistle, as any relief Villa fans felt at avoiding relegation quickly gave way to more hostility towards the manager who made the short move to Villa Park from Birmingham City last summer. The draw with Spurs means that Villa will finish the season with their lowest ever Premier League points total and a club-record low of only four home wins.

McLeish, however, believes he has been working in difficult financial circumstances and said that he deserves another chance. “This season we’ve taken that wee plunge into the reduction of the wages, it has hopefully helped the finances a little bit. But it has put us through the mill, there’s no doubt about that,” the Scot said.

“But with planning we can rise. At the clubs I’ve worked with before, with proper planning, I’ve done well. If I went through that [this season], I’ve got to have a crack at the big time, when we can try and enhance the quality of the squad.”

Asked whether he thought he would be given another chance, McLeish replied: “I don’t know. There’s not been any indication that we need an urgent meeting. I guess Randy [Lerner, the owner] will be pretty pleased with today’s outcome because he’s been very supportive in his texts over the last few days, which indicates great support. But you never know. I would expect to be here next season and I hope to win over the dissenting Villa fans. But I’ve got to get a consistently winning team on the pitch.

“I didn’t say that I had my hands tied behind my back. But what I did say is that I bought into a project with Randy Lerner and the board and Aston Villa Football Club that I would work with this club to try and reduce those wages. There might be some pain along the way with that, and sure enough that has come to the fore. But I would like to think that I have showed my leadership and stood up in times of adversity.”

McLeish, who was relegated with Birmingham last season, claimed not to have heard the supporters’ chants calling for him to go but the Scot added: “Listen, I’ve taken a lot of weight on my shoulders this season and I was happy to take the pressure off of the players. I’m not doing that again next season. They’d better get their finger out.”

This was a frustrating afternoon for Harry Redknapp as Tottenham Hotspur missed out on the chance to overhaul Arsenal against an Aston Villa side grateful for the point that all but guarantees another season in the Premier League.

Behind to Ciaran Clark’s first-half goal and forced to play with 10 men for almost the entire second half after Danny Rose was sent off for a reckless lunge on Alan Hutton, Spurs equalised through Emmanuel Adebayor’s penalty but were unable to force the winner that would have lifted them into third place.

Villa are only three points clear of the 18th-placed Bolton Wanderers but their vastly superior goal difference means Owen Coyle’s side will not be able to catch them on the final day. If that was a cause of celebration for the Villa supporters, it took little time for their discontent to surface after the final whistle as chants of “Sack McLeish, my lord” rang out for the second home game running. This result means that Villa will finish the season with their lowest ever Premier League points total and with only four home wins.

Despite all the problems that preceded this game, Villa made an encouraging start and took the lead in the 35th minute, when Clark’s 30-yard shot deflected off William Gallas’s shoulder, leaving Brad Friedel stranded as the ball sailed beyond him. Gareth Bale drew a fine save from Shay Given at the near post moments later and Rafael van der Vaart drilled an 18-yard shot inches wide of the upright, but otherwise Spurs were largely disappointing in the first half.

It was difficult to see things getting much better for them in the second half, after Rose was dismissed for his dangerous challenge on Hutton, but Richard Dunne’s foul on Sandro provided Adebayor with the chance to beat Given from the spot on the hour mark. The striker duly converted and there was once again an air of apprehension among the home supporters, but Spurs were unable to turn pressure into clear chances as Villa held on for the 17th draw of a thoroughly uninspiring season.

• Spurs have just two games left to overtake their London rivals
• ‘But it feels like there is still a long way to go,’ says midfielder

Rafael van der Vaart is confident that Tottenham can catch Arsenal and finish third in the Premier League – an ambition given a significant boost by Arsenal’s failure to beat Norwich.

Tottenham recently went on a dismal run of one win in nine league games, but they have since enjoyed a mini-revival, registering back-to-back wins against Blackburn and Bolton to move back into the top four with two games left.

Spurs are now ahead of fifth-placed Newcastle on goal difference, but they know finishing fourth may not necessarily guarantee them a place in the Champions League, as Chelsea will qualify for the competition if they beat Bayern Munich in the final later this month.

Arsenal, two points above Spurs, have played one more game – giving their rivals a great chance to jump above them with a win at Aston Villa on Sunday.

Van der Vaart, speaking before Arsenal slipped up against Norwich, told Tottenham’s website: “Anything is possible. There are two games to go, but it feels like there is still a long way to go. We just have to concentrate on what we have to do at Villa.”

Van der Vaart has been key to the Tottenham’s turnaround, scoring in their last two matches to end what he admits was a difficult time for him at the club. The 29-year-old, who has been a revelation since signing for Spurs in August 2010, said he has been underperforming recently and has also been troubled by niggling injuries. “When we win it is easy and everyone says you’re great, but when you lose, we have to look in the mirror and be critical of ourselves. I had a few games that were really bad and you can’t help the team then. I am happy everything has changed now.”

As well as a dismal run of form in the league, Spurs had to endure the humiliation of a 5-1 thrashing in their FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley. Van der Vaart said that a team meeting following the drubbing was part of the reason why Spurs have performed better of late. “We said we have to stay together, especially in difficult times and play as a team. It is not so important to play well, but to fight. Then the wins come.”

Villa head in to Sunday’s game on the back of a winless run of eight matches that has led to their dropping to within three points of the relegation zone. That sequence has led to calls for Alex McLeish to step down, but Harry Redknapp thinks the Scot should be given time. The Spurs manager said: “He has always had the fans to deal with and was always going to be difficult when he went in there. You wouldn’t get a better man, though. He is a top manager too. You just hope that next year he can strengthen.”

• Manager says future does not depend on Champions League
• Redknapp interested in Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen

Harry Redknapp has insisted he is in no rush to sign a new contract with Tottenham Hotspur even though his current deal is entering its final year.

Having been overlooked for the position of England manager this week, Redknapp suggested that he would like to stay at White Hart Lane though he is unconcerned that Daniel Levy has yet to make any move to keep him beyond next season, indicating that talks over an extension could be held during the summer.

“It’s up to the chairman, I don’t go running to him asking for a new contract,” Redknapp said. “I’ll see what happens in the next few weeks and what the chairman has to say. It’s his club. He does what he wants. If he wants to talk to me about a contract we will talk about it. If he doesn’t, we’ll take it from there.”

Redknapp, whose side visit Aston Villa on Sunday, dismissed the idea that Levy could be waiting to see whether Tottenham qualify for the Champions League before deciding whether to stick with him and argued that he has already done enough at White Hart Lane to prove his worth.

“Qualifying for the Champions League is important to everybody but it doesn’t make you a good manager or a bad manager, does it? If you miss out on the Champions League by one point or two points, does it make you a better manager? What can you do? You’re either good or you’re not good.

“I’ve done a good job and if people don’t recognise what you have done or don’t feel that you have done that well, I can’t tell other people: ‘Look how good I’ve done – chairman, here I am.’ It is up to him. I’ve got no thoughts of moving anywhere else, but I don’t want to make it seem that I’m chasing after the club to give me a new contract. I am genuinely not.”

He added for Tottenham to demand nothing less than a fourth-place finish would be unrealistic. “At the start of the year if you looked at it, who is supposed to make the Champions League? Manchester United and Manchester City are absolute certainties so you are playing for two places really. Arsenal make it every year, Chelsea were certainties, Liverpool spent god knows how much. Realistically, where are we? Fifth or sixth maybe.”

Whatever his own future, Redknapp said Tottenham would be “finished” if they sold key players such as Gareth Bale and Luka Modric this summer, insisting that Modric, in particular, would be irreplaceable. “You can’t replace him,” Redknapp said.

“You can sell him but you won’t replace him with somebody as good. That’s why the other clubs want to buy him because he is worth the money but we don’t want to sell him, we’ve got to keep all the best players here and add to them players if we’re going to keep progressing. Once you start selling your best players, you’re finished.

“We are looking to build, to add to the group we’ve got and improve for next year, not to go backwards. If we go backwards, we’re going nowhere basically. We will slump back into mid-table mediocrity and we don’t want that.”

One potential recruit is Ajax’s Belgian centre-back Jan Vertonghen. “I have watched him and he’s a good player but we’re not close to doing anything with anyone yet,” Redknapp added.

This is a huge game for both clubs. Aston Villa, who have won only once at home since November, are only three points clear of the relegation zone while Spurs are right back in contention for a Champions League place after back-to-back victories. Scott Parker is fit again after recovering from an ankle injury and is expected to start for Spurs on an afternoon when Alex McLeish has vowed to keep a low profile and remain in his dugout in the hope that it will encourage Villa fans to focus on the team rather than on him. Stuart James

Venue Villa Park, Sunday 2pm

Tickets £26-47 (0800 6120970)

Last season Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2

Referee Lee Probert

This season’s matches 21 Y42, R3, 2.14 cards per game

Odds Aston Villa 10-3 Tottenham 10-11 Draw 11-4

Aston Villa

Subs from Guzan, Gardner, Weimann, Herd, Baker, Carruthers, Delph, Delfouneso, Collins, Johnson, Williams, Bannan, Stevens

Doubtful None

Injured Albrighton (thigh, Aug), Bent (ankle, Aug), Petrov (leukaemia, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide DLDLDD

Disciplinary record Y68 R2

Leading scorer Bent 9

Tottenham

Subs from Cudicini, Gallas, Saha, Giovani, Defoe, Livermore, Sandro, Nelsen, Smith, Khumalo, Fredericks, Lancaster, Bentley

Doubtful Bentley (knee), King (knee), Modric (foot), Walker (toe)

Injured Gomes (knee, 13 May), Assou-Ekotto (shoulder, Aug), Dawson (ankle, Aug), Huddlestone (ankle, Aug), Jenas (achilles, Aug), Kranjcar (knee, Aug)

Suspended None

Form guide WWLLDW

Disciplinary record Y43 R2

Leading scorer Adebayor 15

Match pointers

• Villa have won only one of their last six home league meetings with Tottenham

• Emmanuel Adebayor has scored five times and provided four assists from a total of eight Premier League appearances against Villa

• Villa have scored fewer headed goals this season (three) than any other side in the top flight

• Tottenham have had 92 shots on target from outside the box in 2011-12, the largest amount in the division

• Villa have averaged just one point per game at home this term (18 from 18)