O'Hara hoping for a big day to pay tribute to his late mother

The tattoo is a tribute to his mum, Ann, who died of cancer aged 46 in 2004, and he is still coming to terms with her loss. The Tottenham midfielder believes she is still able to guide him, and his thoughts always turn to her before he plays.

"When I run out on to the pitch, I will always say a little prayer to my mum, who is looking down on me," said the 22-year-old.

"I always hope she will give me the strength, and that is what the tattoo is about. It says 'strength, power and courage,' which were the three qualities my mum always said I had.

"She played a massive part in my early career, and was definitely a big influence on me. When I was a kid, her and my dad were always driving me up and down the country, taking me everywhere to matches, sometimes in places like Durham or Wales.

"They have done some mileage for me, and I always feel I owe everything to my parents. I miss my mum, but I know she is still looking down on me."

O'Hara missed out on last year's final against Chelsea but if he plays this time he will relish the chance to test himself against Paul Scholes, a player the England Under-21 international regards as one of the best in the business.

"United are a fantastic side, and Paul Scholes has been a huge part of that. He has always been an idol of mine for what he can do on the pitch," said the Dartford-born player.

"He is someone who has always kept himself to himself, and who has let his football do the talking, which is how I want to be. If I can have half the career he has had, and be in the same calibre as him, I'd be delighted He is an unbelievable all-round footballer."

Looking to his own side, O'Hara (left, with his adidas Predator Powerswerve special edition boots he will be wearing on Sunday) is upbeat about the future.

He added: "I look at the players we have and I think we should be up there near the top of the table, because this is a big club.

"The problem we have had both this season and last is that we have given away too many silly goals, often from set pieces, in the last five and 10 minutes of games. It has cost us valuable points.

"If we could cut have cut that out, who knows? We have outplayed teams, but the silly goals have cost us.

"But look at the young talent we have in the team - players like Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone and me -and there are five or six in the youth team who can develop into top stars."

O'Hara has recovered from a hip injury and played 70 minutes of last night's UEFA Cup tie against Shakhtar Donetsk. Harry Redknapp has already confirmed that he would like the midfielder to "be available for at least some part of the final".

He has certainly made a strong contribution to Spurs' run to the final this term, producing a second-half display in the semi-final first leg against Burnley that inspired a 4-1 win for Redknapp's team.

O'Hara said: "I have played every game in the competition and scored two goals. I did really well against Burnley, so I've made an impact in us getting to Wembley."