Parker doubt for season start

Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker could miss the start of the season as he continues to struggle with an Achilles tendon injury.



The 31-year-old picked up the injury towards the end of last season and missed Spurs' last game of the campaign before being nursed through England's Euro 2012 campaign.

Parker is not with Spurs on their pre-season tour of the United States as the club's medical staff assess whether he needs surgery, which would rule him out for a month and leave him struggling to face Newcastle on 18 August.

"There might be a small tear on his Achilles - we are at the moment evaluating the situation regarding a possible operation that can take four to six weeks normally to heal," said Villas-Boas.



Parker is also likely to miss England's friendly against Italy on 15 August and World Cup qualifiers with Moldova on 7 September and Ukraine four days later.