Struggling Bent threatens to leave Spurs

The striker has scored 14 goals this term but has struggled to convince the manager, who re-signed Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane last month.

Bent came close to joining Sunderland as part of a deal that would have taken Kenwyne Jones to White Hart Lane and accepts his Spurs days may be numbered.

He said: "I need to play more games. I don't want another season where I'm in and out of the team all the time.

"I'm only 25 and there is so much more to come from me as a player. I'd like to think that improvement will be with Tottenham but if nothing is happening for me by the end of the season, then I'll look to go elsewhere.

"I've spoken to the manager a couple of times about my position but I can only hear the same thing so many times. I'm not one of those players who will just sit back and let his career pass him by. I'll bang on the manager's door."

Bent's time at Spurs appeared to be up when he missed an easy late chance in the 1-1 home draw with Portsmouth last month, an opportunity Redknapp claimed his wife Sandra would have taken.

"The manager's comments were quite hard to take because I knew I should have scored," said Bent.

Despite coming on as substitute to score twice in the 3-2 defeat at Bolton on 31 January, Bent was again on the bench for last week's 0-0 draw with Arsenal, as Redknapp paired Keane with Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Bent joined Spurs from Charlton for £16million in the summer of 2007 but has never had a regular run in the side. He admitted: "The constant change has definitely made things more difficult."

Redknapp, meanwhile, has been urged to restore goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes to the team by the Brazilian's international colleague Julio Cesar.

Despite being fit again after a thigh injury, Gomes was on the bench against Arsenal with January signing Carlo Cudicini given the nod in goal.

Inter Milan No1 Cesar said: "I have spoken to him a bit and I know he is a brilliant goalkeeper.

"I think he will be first-choice keeper again before too long."