FA clear Redknapp to name 'weakest' team

(GETTY IMAGES)

The Football Association will not be drawn on comments by Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp that he will field his weakest possible team in the FA Cup.

Redknapp said after last night's epic Carling Cup semi-final win over Burnley that he would now rest players for this weekend's fourth-round tie with Manchester United to keep them fresh for Barclays Premier League action.

Redknapp won the FA Cup with Portsmouth last year but has already admitted the competition is well down his list of priorities at Spurs as the club face a relegation battle.

"I will go to Old Trafford with the weakest team I can possibly find," Redknapp said after the game.

That could be construed as a contravention of competition rules, which state that clubs must play to their full strength.

Rule 15a reads: "Each team participating in a match shall represent the full available strength of each competing club."

However, with most Premier League clubs boasting large first-team squads, it would be impossible to argue Spurs would be breaching rules by fielding fringe players.

Redknapp is entitled to use his squad as he feels necessary, even if he could face criticism for devaluing the FA Cup.

An FA spokesman said: "Undoubtedly Tottenham will be selecting a team from their first-team squad."