Tottenham Hotspur

Emmanuel Adebayor: 'Tim Sherwood gave me my smile back'

By Shane Callaghan, Reporter | 19 December 2013

Emmanuel Adebayor praises Tim Sherwood for giving him the confidence to rebuild his career at the club after scoring in his first start of the campaign on Wednesday.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor has credited caretaker boss Tim Sherwood with providing him with the confidence necessary to rebuild his career at White Hart Lane.

The Togo international was handed his first starting berth of the season in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham United after reportedly falling out with recently departed coach Andre Villas-Boas in the summer.

The former Arsenal man swiftly vindicated Sherwood's faith by opening the scoring for the North London outfit and, speaking to Spurs TV, the 29-year-old claims that he is still smiling over his goal.

"Tim gave me the chance to play football again. I've still got my smile on my face. I got a chance, I took it well. I'm very happy," Adebayor said.

"Now the most important thing is me scoring goals, confidence is back. We just have to keep working hard, put more heart into it and it will be better."

The ex-Blackburn rovers captain admitted that he was unsure whether or not his caretaker role would develop into a long-term position, with Ajax coach Frank de Boer among those heavily tipped to take the reins in North London.