Tottenham boss Juande Ramos faces pressure to field skipper Ledley King in Premiership games, it has been revealed.

The Times says Ramos has predominantly picked the defender for cup matches this season, probably because he regards the competitions as their best chance of success. But some inside the club believe that priorities have changed after their worst start to a season, which has left them rooted to the bottom of the Barclays Premier League.

Ramos has said that he can decide on King's participation only on the day of a game, after assessing the reaction of his injury to training and matches. King travelled to the Britannia Stadium, but was not included in the squad for the 2-1 defeat by Stoke City on Sunday.

He has not played since helping Tottenham to reach the Uefa Cup group stage with a 1-1 draw away to Wisla Krakow three weeks ago, but is likely to line up against Udinese in the competition on Thursday.