Benoit Assou-Ekotto (right) celebrates with Emmanuel Adebayor

Benoit Assou-Ekotto wants Harry Redknapp to remain as Spurs’ manager

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Tottenham full back Benoit Assou-Ekotto does not want Harry Redknapp to leave the club to take over England.

The 64-year-old is the favourite to replace Fabio Capello at the helm of the Three Lions.

“I am a Tottenham player but I am not English so I hope England fans can forgive me when I say that I would like Harry Redknapp to stay at Spurs,” he told the London Evening Standard.

“It may sound selfish but Harry has been very good for me so it is natural that I don’t want him to go.

“If the Football Association want him to be England manager he will have a very tough decision to make and no matter what he decides, some will be happy and others will be sad. All I know is that he is our gaffer at the moment and we are enjoying it.

“When I think about it now, I wonder what I was doing so far up the pitch in the fourth minute but that is what Harry has got us doing. That is what makes him so special.

“He encourages us to play football and to express ourselves. He even lets me play with my afro, although I must confess that is more down to my laziness and unwillingness to go out in the cold to get my hair done.”

Assou-Ekotto also knows that Stevenage pose a threat to Spurs if they are not prepared for the clash.

“This weekend sees a return to FA Cup action and I know the gaffer has demanded that we take it seriously,” he said.

“Being knocked out of Europe could have been a bit of luck, some of the teams left in it will have been distracted by European competitions and it has allowed us to rest longer.

“If we don’t take Stevenage seriously, they will hurt us. Somebody told me that they beat Newcastle quite recently so we cannot take them lightly.”