Harry Redknapp has challenged Darren Bent to prove that he can be part of his long-term plans at Tottenham after the striker admitted he may be forced to leave in the summer.

Bent, 25, has been unsettled by the return of Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane last month and finds himself fourth in the striking pecking order behind those two players and Roman Pavlyuchenko.

But ahead of tonight's UEFA Cup tie against Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, Spurs boss Redknapp told the £16.5million forward it was time to back up his words with deeds.

Redknapp said: "People can talk about what they're going to do but the only place you can do it is on the pitch.

"Darren Bent came on as a substitute against Bolton [Spurs lost 3-2 on 31 January] and scored two goals, so it is up to him. If he is playing well, he will be in the team.

"There is every chance that he will play on Monday at Hull and as I have only two strikers available for this competition - Darren and Fraizer Campbell - he has a real chance to make his mark.

"Darren is available tonight and he is also right in the frame to play in the Carling Cup Final, as Jermain Defoe is injured and Robbie Keane cup-tied."

Redknapp is so concerned about his side's fight for survival that Bent is likely to start on the bench tonight, with on-loan Manchester United man Campbell operating as a loan striker.

He could, however, get the chance to repeat his Bolton performance by being introduced later in the game.

The 17-year-old Dean Parrett - one of eight youth-team players to have made the trip to Donetsk - is likely to make his first appearance for Spurs, as part of a five-man midfield. Fringe players such as Giovani dos Santos, Chris Gunter and Tom Huddlestone are also set to be involved.

With Spurs missing several key players for this tie through injury and ineligibility, Redknapp showed where his priorities lie by leaving Carlo Cudicini, Wilson Palacios, Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and Jonathan Woodgate in London. The Spurs boss fears that this tie - the second leg is in eight days' time, just three days before the Carling Cup Final - could damage his side's chances of staying up and of retaining the trophy they won last year.

He said: "It is a bit of a juggling act for me. We want to get through the tie but getting some League results is all important for us. We go to Wembley next week and we want to make a great game of it with Manchester United.

"We have so many games in such a short space of time and it is difficult. If we were in the top half of the table, perhaps we would be putting everything into getting this result but the circumstances are tough."

However, former Spurs defender Paul Miller, who scored in Spurs's 1984 UEFA Cup Final win over Anderlecht, disagees with Redknapp's approach to the competition. He said: "It is a great chance to win a trophy and it is foolish to disregard that.

"Spurs will stay in the Premier League this season, no problem, so if I were a player, I would want to give it my all in the UEFA Cup.

"If you look at the competitions Spurs are in, this is probably their best chance of silverware. If Manchester United play their full-strength side, they will win, whereas Spurs have a real chance in this tournament.

"There is a chance to play Aston Villa in the next round and that would be a great occasion. And as they are trying to get into the top four in the Premier League, they might have to leave out a few of their key players. The competition is there for Spurs to try to win."

As well as adapting to a much-changed team and overcoming an opposition strong enough to finish third in their Champions League group, Spurs have the added problem of the bad pitch.

Redknapp said: "It is not even non-league standard. It's a poor pitch."