Van der Vaart fitness race

Tottenham midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart looks set to miss out on the season opener against Everton next weekend.

The Dutchman picked up an ankle injury in the 3-2 win over Brighton last weekend and sat out the 2-1 win over Atletic Bilbao today.

However, the 28-year-old should have recovered in time for the first-leg Europa League play-off fixture over Hearts a week on Thursday.

“We’ll keep our fingers crossed for next week,” Kevin Bond,Tottenham’s assistant manager, told the Daily Telegraph.