Tottenham Hotspur assistant manager Steffen Freund has no doubts that club captain Michael Dawson still has a future at White Hart Lane.

The 28-year-old is preparing to make his first appearance of the season on Wednesday night as Spurs travel to Carlisle United in the Capital One Cup.

Fifth-choice centre-back Dawson was close to a £9m move to Queens Park Rangers in the summer, but he is expected to start in the third round clash and Freund has challenged the Englishman to prove his worth.

"He realises that he is not playing at the moment but things can change in football," Freund said. "The most important thing is how he reacts and he likes to play for Tottenham.

"When you are a strong club like Tottenham there is a lot of opportunities. Andre said that from the beginning of the season. It is difficult for him because he is the captain of the club and he had an offer from QPR.

"We are always positive from that point and we talked about it openly. The players who are playing at Carlisle have to play well because we have a strong squad."

Spurs currently sit eighth in the Premier League table.