Tom Huddlestone plans show of strength over his next move

Huddlestone is hoping for a future with Tottenham but more than anything wants to be playing Rory Smith, The Times Last updated at 12:01AM, May 3 2013 The muscular Spurs midfielder weighs up his options for the second decade of his career As misjudgments go, it is fairly colossal. It was the end of the under-12s season when Nottingham Forest released me, says Tom Huddlestone, the Tottenham Hotspur and erstwhile England midfielder. That, in itself, is not especially unusual: an early setback often features in an elite footballers background; a cod psychologist might suggest it is what

spurs them on. No, what makes Huddlestones case remarkable is Forests explanation. The official line they gave the Football Association, says a smiling Huddlestone, his tattooed, muscular arms bulging under a salmon pink Tshirt, the trademark Afro adding more inches to his 6ft 2in frame, was that they thought I wouldnt be strong enough. Im not sure why. I was the same size then I am now. I think they were playing mind games. If that was the plan, it backfired. Huddlestones last game for his hometown club although he was a Chelsea and a Notts County fan, in that order was against Derby County. A mutual friend had already alerted Derbys manager to his availability; then a performance that the player remembers as his best in a Forest shirt sealed the move. Only four years later, Huddlestone, still at school, was being named as a substitute by John Gregory, then the Derby manager, for a game away to Millwall. So highly was the towering, strolling midfielder rated that he was picked ahead of Fabrizio Ravanelli, the former Italy forward, who was the clubs highest earner at the time. Huddlestone made his full debut at Pride Park at the age of 16, and by the time he was 18, he had been sold to Spurs and hailed as heir apparent to Glenn Hoddle. He is still only 26, and he has already enjoyed a decade in senior football. Huddlestone, it is fair to say, was strong enough, after all. But if his career has not panned out as Forest expected, the player himself would be forgiven for thinking it has not gone quite as he envisaged it would. I came down here [to Tottenham] after playing almost every game for Derby for two years, he says. Then when I arrived, there were times when I was not even training with the first team. I had to take that in. Then I went to Wolves on loan and it was just great to be involved. I came back and had a couple of seasons when I was in and out of the team. But [by 2010], I felt I was kicking on; I felt I had established myself as one of the two first-choice midfielders. I made 43 starts that season, when we finished fourth, I think, and I just missed out on the World Cup.

Then last year was an absolute nightmare. It was 18 months written off, because of the [ankle] injuries. Youre just coming in and doing your work, in the gym. You see the lads having a laugh, going out to training, and you feel pushed to one side. And then this season has felt like being back at square one, having to feel your way back in. At the start, I was just glad to be back around the team, being able to train. I was not selected for the first couple of travelling squads and that was disappointing. I was told I could go on loan, but nothing materialised. From that point of view, I have played more than maybe I thought I would. But it is frustrating not starting regularly. Very frustrating. That is not to say that Huddlestone regrets his move south; far from it. He is perhaps a little shy, but, speaking in his East Midlands accent, he is as thoughtful off the pitch as his passing is on it. He is possessed of a rare perspective. Derby were struggling a lot [financially], so Im not sure how much choice I had in the move, he says. But it is impossible to say no to a club the size of Spurs. Even if I knew things would turn out as they have, I would have signed. And besides, I signed in the January transfer window. If I had said wait, I could have got injured, or had a nightmare six months. I might have ended up in League One, not the Premier League. It is a commendable attitude. There is no bitterness in Huddlestones voice, no evidence of entitlement one might expect from an unfulfilled prodigy. There is simply a determination to make the most of the next decade; he gives the impression of being a man who is rather tired of watching football. Remedying that, though, will require some difficult choices. Tottenham are a club going places: Huddlestone remains confident that the club can qualify for the Champions League again this year, although admits he is not the sort to pore over fixture lists to work out the permutations of the seasons climax.

Over the last few years, the quality of the players here has just gone up, he says. With the new stadium moving along and the new training ground in place, with the calibre of players we have and the size of the club, we should want to be in the Champions League. If we were, this would be the ideal place to be, really. There is just one drawback: all that time on the sidelines has taught Huddlestone where his priorities lie. First and foremost, you want to play at the highest standard you can, he says. Whether that means leaving Spurs to go to a so-called lesser club to play more regularly or not, you just want to be playing. It would be really disappointing to have to go with the club back in the Champions League, and on a great run, but playing is the most important thing. There is no point me being in the Champions League if Im sitting on the bench or in the stands. It is a weighty decision, a choice between ambition and desire. Many would demur, refusing to plump for one over the other. Huddlestone, though, knows he must make a selection. He is strong enough to do it. Tom Huddlestone is raising money for Cancer Research UK by not cutting his hair until he scores. He has not scored for two years. You can donate here Facts and figures Born Nottingham. Age 26. Previous clubs Derby County (2003-2005), Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan, 2006). Tottenham appearances 188. Tottenham goals 24 England appearances 4 England debut Lost to Brazil 1-0, Qatar, Nov 2009