Van der Vaart was badly missed in Saturday's 4-2 Premier League defeat at Bolton and remains a major doubt for tonight's game at White Hart Lane. The Holland midfielder, who is nursing a hamstring injury, has scored in every one of his home appearances since joining from Real Madrid, becoming something of a talisman for his new side. He made a surprise recovery this time last week to start Spurs' historic Champions League win over Inter Milan and could do the same again. Redknapp said: "It's like any player, I think you always ask them. "The only person who knows how they feel is the player. All the physios in the world can say whatever they want. "If you've got a pain, the physio can say, 'No, he's okay', but you say, 'No I'm not' - you've got to be relying on the player. "Of course, if he feels all right, he'll play. But if he says, 'No, I still feel it a little bit', then that's the end of him." Redknapp added: "He limped off at Man United and I thought, 'That's the end of him for a few weeks', but he came out and played against Inter Milan. "With a hamstring, normally you don't expect him to have a chance of playing." Fellow midfielder Tom Huddlestone should return to the starting line-up on Tuesday night after being rested to the bench on Saturday. The 23-year-old avoided suspension for an alleged stamp on Bolton striker Johan Elmander after coming on as a substitute at the Reebok Stadium. The Football Association were unable to act after referee Chris Foy's report confirmed the match officials had not missed the incident. Huddlestone had been virtually an ever-present this season until the last few weeks and Redknapp explained the reasons behind resting him. "He's been having injections in his ankle, so I didn't want to keep playing him Saturday, midweek, Saturday, midweek," he said, "You can only get so many games out of him." After back-to-back defeats and one point from the last three games, it is vital Tottenham get back on track tonight and in Saturday's home clash with Blackburn. Victory this evening would close Spurs to within two points of fourth-placed Manchester City, while defeat could see them go into the weekend eight adrift. "It's the same for everyone, isn't it?" said Redknapp, pointing out how tight the league is. "It's the same for Arsenal: they've got two games this week; we're all in the same boat. "You win a couple of games and you're clever."
