Tottenham's forgotten winger David Bentley hopes he sent the right message to manager Harry Redknapp after last night's Carling Cup win over Everton.

Bentley could be handed his first League start of the season at Arsenal after Redknapp said an ankle injury was likely to rule Aaron Lennon out of the match.

Bentley's stunning strike in the 4-4 draw at Emirates Stadium one year ago remains the highlight of his Spurs career, and the £15million man admitted he had not been as dedicated as he should have been in recent weeks.

"It's been a difficult time since I've been here and I've encountered every problem in the book," said Bentley. "Sometimes my efforts have been lacking at times because I haven't been fully focused on football. I think I've got that right now and against Everton I worked hard and my ability came out."