Kaboul left at home as Spurs head for Belgium

Younes Kaboul's future at Tottenham Hotspur appears less certain after he stayed at home for tonight's Uefa Cup game against Anderlecht in Belgium despite Juande Ramos having a shortage of defenders.

Kaboul arrived from Auxerre this summer in a deal valued upwards of 8m but has looked shaky at centre-back, and he has made costly errors in his last two appearances. Ramos has centre-halves Ledley King, Ricardo Rocha and Anthony Gardner on the sidelines but will field a makeshift defence at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium tonight, rather than include Kaboul for a match where a draw will confirm Tottenham's place in the knockout stages of the competition.

Ramos insisted that the decision was made so he could utilise his squad, and he also confirmed the club would not be looking to send the France Under-21 defender on loan next month.

"I don't know why I would send Kaboul out on loan," Ramos said. "He is our player and we are very satisfied and happy he is with us. We have a squad and we have to try and let all of the players play, participate and feel important.

"I don't think Kaboul is depressed. He is a young lad who is very focused and with lots of desire. I am convinced he is looking forward to playing again and he has the quality to do so."