King Relishing New Season

Tottenham captain King played the opening half of last night's pre-season friendly between a Spurs XI and Ipswich at Portman Road, which the visitors won 1-0.

The 29-year-old England defender, whose appearances need to be managed carefully due to a persistent knee problem, is now eyeing his club's final warm-up fixture against Fiorentina on Saturday.

And he believes he will also be ready to play a part in Spurs' crucial Barclays Premier League opener against Manchester City the following weekend.

"It's always great to get those first 45 minutes under your belt," said King, who could also be named in Fabio Capello's squad for next Wednesday's friendly against Hungary.

"Things have gone well so far in pre-season and it's a nice touch to get out there and do that work.

"I've had some good training sessions and we didn't want to push the game too early, so it's ideal to get out there, play 45 minutes and hopefully now I'll play some part against Fiorentina on Saturday and look to build up for the start of the season."

Source: PA

Source: PA