Tottenham Manager Harry Redknapp to have heart surgery


The 64-year-old went to hospital last night to undergo tests and will now have an operation on a minor blockage in one of his arteries, according to Press Association Sport.

Tottenham confirmed last night that the former West Ham manager was set to undergo a "medical procedure" that would rule him out of the club's trip to Rubin Kazan this week.

What will Harry Redknapp's heart surgery involve? A cardiac nurse explains all

Assistant manager Kevin Bond and first-team coach Joe Jordan will take charge of the team for tomorrow night's Europa League match in Russia.

It is not known how long Redknapp will be away from work. An update is expected later today at the club's press conference in Russia, to preview tomorrow's Europa League Group A match against Rubin Kazan.

Quoted in the Sun this morning, however, the Spurs boss appeared confident he would be able to resume his leadership of the club in time for Sunday's Barclays Premier League game at Fulham.

The 64-year-old told the newspaper: "I'm hoping I can be back at work again in a couple of days."

Redknapp lives in Bournemouth and makes the 250-mile round trip to the club's training ground most days along with Bond.

The former Portsmouth manager, who has been in charge of Spurs for three years, admitted in March 2010 that he had started talking heart pills upon the advice of his doctors, but stressed it was not a major problem.

Writing in his Sun column, Redknapp then said: "About a year ago I needed to take heart pills and I am still taking them regularly... I am absolutely fine and have no worries about my health but this game can make the most mild-mannered of people explode as when you are sitting on the bench you get eaten up inside from first to last whistle."

On the stresses of management he added: "After a game I cannot sleep, there is too much going on in my head as I go over moves, think about game plans, think about which player has had a good or bad game - and it's worse if you lose."

Redknapp has been a big success since swapping Portsmouth for White Hart Lane in October 2008.

He earned the club qualification to the Champions League for the first time in their history in 2009 before taking Spurs to the quarter-finals of the competition last season.

The club missed out on qualifying for this year's Champions League, but currently look set to challenge for a top-four place after going on a seven-match unbeaten run which has taken them to fifth.

Redknapp's exploits at the north London club have made him the favourite to succeed Fabio Capello as England manager when the Italian steps down next summer.

Redknapp is not the first football manager in recent times to have undergone heart surgery.

Gerard Houllier had to have an 11-hour emergency aortic dissection after experiencing heart problems at half-time during Liverpool's game against Leeds in 2001, and the Frenchman required a similar operation last season when in charge of Aston Villa.

The former Lyon manager, who like Redknapp is 64-years-old, returned to manage Liverpool after five months out, but he did not take charge of another game at Villa following his most recent heart scare and left the midlands club in the summer.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had a pacemaker fitted in 2004, but was back at work the following day.

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce underwent heart surgery while in charge of Blackburn in 2009, and Joe Kinnear had a triple-heart bypass earlier in the same year while at Newcastle.

Spurs will cope without Harry, says Rubin boss

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