Ricketts returns to the place he earned his Spurs

HE was only the fourth player in history to leave Arsenal for Spurs when he crossed north London in 2002 but, in truth, that giant step in football terms was only a modest relocation geographically for a man whose relentless globetrotting has since seen him play football in Canada, Hungary, Moldova, Germany and, now, Ireland.

Tonight, when Spurs host Shamrock Rovers in their eagerly awaited Europa League clash, midfielder Rohan Ricketts will return to White Hart Lane as the latest super Hoop and, to judge by the social network media on which he is prominent, there’ll be a warm welcome back for the man who won over the fans during two seasons at Tottenham under Glenn Hoddle, before his career took the first of one too many twists and turns.

“I wasn’t manager when he was here, but he has been around the world since then,” Spurs boss Harry Redknapp observed yesterday. “Hopefully he will settle down and get his career going at Shamrock Rovers, and I am sure he will look forward to coming back here.”