Rafael van der Vaart accepts bench role

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has admitted that he understood Harry Redknapp's decision to start him on the bench during his side's 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at the weekend.

The Dutch international had been nursing a hamstring injury that prompted Redknapp to select Jermain Defoe in his place.

The boss admitted after the match that Van der Vaart was disappointed with his decision, but the midfielder has claimed that he has now accepted the verdict.

"I fully understand I had to start on the bench," Van der Vaart told his official website.

"I could only train once with the group. Then there are some more players the manager can pick, so of course I had to start off the bench."

Van der Vaart joined Spurs in 2010 from Real Madrid.