When it comes to injuries, there aren’t many players who can say they are as unlucky as Jonathan Woodgate. It looks as though things could get even worse for the former Middlesbrough man as well, with Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp indicating that the 31-year-old will not be offered a new contract when his deal expires in the summer.
Since joining the club in 2008, Woodgate’s appearances have been scarce and having only featured fifty times for Tottenham, it’s no wonder that Redknapp has grown impatient with the defender’s fitness. Speaking ahead of the Premiership finale, Redknapp said: “His contract is up and he hasn’t played for two years.
“If we don’t keep him then he is worth a gamble for someone on a pay-as-you-play deal because if you can get him fit you will have one of the best centre-halves anywhere.”
After bursting onto the scene as a promising youth at Leeds all those years ago, Woodgate has struggled to build on his early reputation as injuries have blighted his career. He’s played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, one being Real Madrid, and commanded some huge transfer fees, but as the years go by it looks more and more likely that Woodgate will be one of the players that should have, but never did, become one of the best players in the world.
Despite the injury problems, Woodgate is expected to feature in Tottenham’s game against Birmingham on Sunday after recovering from a groin problem. The White Hart Lane outfit are currently sat in 5th place in the Premiership and with one point separating them from Liverpool in 6th, they know that qualification for the Europa League is completely in their own hands. Opponents Birmingham certainly won’t make things easy for them though as the Blues are still embroiled in something of a relegation battle.
