Harry Redknapp has insisted he has no problem with Rafael van der Vaart after speaking to the Dutchman about recent comments.

Spurs boss dismisses talk of a rift with Dutchman

Harry Redknapp has insisted he has no problem with Rafael van der Vaart after the Tottenham forward branded claims he had criticised his manager as 'rubbish'. Van der Vaart scored the opener in Spurs' 2-1 win over Arsenal two weeks ago, but was unhappy at being made to play on the right wing in the absence of Aaron Lennon. The strong partnership that Jermain Defoe and new signing Emmanuel Adebayor have developed this season has meant that Van der Vaart has regularly been deployed in wide positions - a role he does not see as his best. The former Real Madrid forward, who prefers to play behind a main striker, was quoted as saying he had been left 'irritated' by the situation. However, the 28-year-old has since approached Redknapp to clear the air and explain that his comments had been misunderstood. "Rafa came to see me and said to me he didn't know where all that rubbish came from," Redknapp said. "Rafa is a great lad. I've not got a problem with him. He is a bright, well-mannered, fantastic footballer. "He played there (on the wing) last year for us, probably seven or eight games and we had some great results. Some of our best results came that way."