Made his name at Portsmouth, where he shone in Jim Smith's attacking side of the early 90s. The winger joined Spurs for £1.75million in 1992 and has made over 200 appearances for the club.

Fast and direct, a fully fit Anderton can be an exhilarating sight to watch when in full flow. Has the ability to take-on the opposition and can also deliver great crosses.

Terry Venables gave the right sided midfielder his England debut against Denmark in 1994 and Anderton also played a huge part in El Tel's Euro 96 team that reached the semi-finals.

Injuries and the challenge of David Beckham then limited Anderton's international appearances. He was recalled for Glen Hoddle's France 98 squad but was again sidelined during Euro 2000.

An extended run of fitness has Anderton vying for a permanent place in the national team. He played in England's 1-1 draw away to France in September 2000 and also featured against Italy the following November.

His form during the early part of the 2001/02 season earned his first call-up to Sven Goran Eriksson's England squad to for a friendly against Sweden in November. Played the last 31 minutes of the game.

But that game could spell the end of the player's international career, as Eriksson failed to select him again - preferring West Ham United's Trevor Sinclair.

Anderton kept up his fitness, raising hopes he can finally banish that 'sicknote' tag.