Roberto Soldado not guaranteed Premier League return

Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre Villas-Boas has suggested that Roberto Soldado is not guaranteed a place in his starting XI despite bagging a hat-trick in Thursday night's 4-1 win over Anzhi Makhachkala.

The Spaniard has been dropped in favour of Jermain Defoe for the past two Premier League matches, and the Portuguese offered no indication that the pecking order has changed.

"We have to think about it," PA quotes him as saying.

"It's a bit premature. We always wanted to give this game to Roberto after two games in a row for Jermain, who was deserving his chance as well. Now it's about putting the best possible strategy of the game and seeing what we can do.

"What this will help is put the player back with confidence with his final touch and a striker always lives off goals so it's extremely important."

Spurs take on Liverpool at home in the Premier League this Sunday.