Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood has insisted that Arsene Wenger and his men will fear their former frontman Emmanuel Adebayor when the teams clash in the FA Cup third round.
The striker was stretchered off in the 2-1 win over Manchester United but has been cleared to face his former club and Sherwood has tipped Adebayor to give the Arsenal defence a torrid time.
"Adebayor will be huge," Sherwood told reporters.
"I think that if Arsene Wenger saw him limping off at Old Trafford ... I'm sure there were a lot of pleased Arsenal fans, management and players but, unfortunately, he's going to be walking out against them.”
"It didn't look great when he came off on that stretcher but he is a warrior. There is no holding him back at the moment.”
The new Spurs manager then went on to praise Adebayor’s professionalism and added that he was one of those players that the fans respect.
"At every club he's ever played for, the fans respect Adebayor for the player he is," he added.
“There are certain players when the team-sheet comes in, you scan down and see if they're playing. I did it at Old Trafford ... see if [Wayne] Rooney's playing straight away and I'm sure Arsenal will do the same with Adebayor."
"He's a top player, it's as simple as that," Sherwood added.
"He has a real desire to want to play at the moment and he is one of the top players in this division. I am only worried about how I treat him.”
"I am certain I will show him the respect he deserves as long as he continues to show that respect to me. He is a good character around the place, a total professional and he is really focused game to game.”
"He was in real pain at Old Trafford, he couldn't walk, so for him to put himself in the frame for this game is a real credit to him.”
"He loves scoring goals and trying to bring him off the pitch to protect him at times ... he gives me that stare. Sometimes, you have to do it. He knows I'm doing it for the right reasons.”
"I have never heard him talking about anything other than the games, enjoying training and looking forward to the next games."
