Former Tottenham Hotspur boss George Graham has paid tribute to Ledley King, describing him as "special".

The 31-year-old defender appears to have played his final game as a professional, after he was released by manager Harry Redknapp and indicated his intention to remain at the club in a non-playing capacity.

Graham, who was in charge at White Hart Lane between 1998 and 2001, has said that he was aware of King's potential from a very early age.

"As a youth everyone realised we had a special one on the books and it was only a matter of time before Ledley was given his chance," Graham told talkSPORT.

"Because of his injury, he probably never reached the heights, i.e. lots and lots of England caps and maybe a few trophies as well. It's sad that his injury has taken its toll on him.

"He's a lovely boy. A lot people say as a captain maybe he should have shouted a bit more but one of the best captains ever was Bobby Moore and Bobby didn't do a lot of shouting and hollering, and Ledley falls into that category."

King made 323 appearances for Spurs and won 21 England caps.