It’s a real shame for Huddlestone that a serious ankle injury last season has, potentially, hampered his chances for Spurs.
During our Champions League attaining season, the England midfielder was pivotal to our success, developing a devastating partnership with Modric while shielding the defence to maximum effect.
His year may have started where he left off last season but November is where disaster struck, picking up the aforementioned ankle injury that saw him sidelined for four months.
While most cursed their luck, others saw it as an opportunity for Palacios and Sandro to stake their claim for a starting berth.
And it was the Brazilian who grasped the chance with both hands, slotting in alongside Modric with, after some time, minimal ease.
Unfortunately for Palacios, this wasn’t to be the same and he was eventually shipped out to Stoke City.
Meanwhile, Redknapp bought in the tough tackling Parker from West Ham United to bolster the midfield and add a player of exceptional leadership skills.
However, with Parker being added to the squad coupled with the emergence of Sandro, Huddlestone may be finding his chances limited on the foreseeable future.
With many fans expecting either the Brazilian, once he returns from injury, or England international Parker to command a starting spot alongside Modric in the centre of the park, some believe Huddlestone will find his chances limited as the season wears on.
His injury problems continuously hinder his opportunities of breaking back into the squad but, when he was given his chance against Hearts, the midfielder simply looked un-interested in the game, a move that would have done him no favours whatsoever.
It will be interesting to see whether the giant midfielder will step-up his game over the next few weeks especially with Sandro set to return from injury later this month. But will he re-gain his starting spot? Unfortunately, it appears more and more unlikely that he will secure a starting role alongside Modric in the midfield.
