Rafael van der Vaart is confident he will be fit for Tottenham's game against Aston Villa on Monday despite injuring his hamstring while playing for Holland.
The playmaker has been in outstanding form for his club this season and it was feared he might face a significant spell on the sidelines after he sustained the damage in a friendly against Switzerland last Friday. He will certainly miss Holland's clash with Germany in Hamburg tonight.
Van der Vaart has suffered hamstring problems before, and missed Tottenham's 2-0 win over Wolves early in September after picking up a similar injury in the 5-1 thrashing by Manchester City in August. But the 28-year-old is optimistic about an instant return ahead of a scan this week.
"We'll have to wait and see but it doesn't feel too bad," said Van der Vaart. "It feels like a tiny muscle rupture. I hope I'll be fit soon and I expect to play against Aston Villa."
The Dutchman has scored six goals in Spurs' last six games, contributing to a run of seven wins and a draw in eight matches that has lifted Harry Redknapp's team to fifth in the table.
Redknapp underwent heart surgery two weeks ago and missed his team's 3-1 victory at Fulham on November 6.
It is thought a final decision has still to be taken on whether he will be present at White Hart Lane on Monday night. The 64-year-old is determined to return to work as quickly as possible but doctors' initial advice was that he rest for four to five weeks.
Spurs, meanwhile, hope to have defender William Gallas available to make his first Premier League appearance of the season following calf trouble, while fellow centre-back Michael Dawson's Achilles problem is not as bad as first feared and he might return early next year.
