Spurs fans: do you want Robbie Keane back? | Agger contract delay adds to Anfield confusion | Benítez must recover his sense of direction | Who should go in Liverpool power struggle?

Robbie Keane has been offered a potential return ticket to Tottenham Hotspur as he faces up to an increasingly uncertain future at Liverpool after his £20.3 million summer move.

The Ireland forward has featured in only six of Liverpool’s past 12 matches in all competitions and, to the astonishment of some at the club, was left out of the 18-man squad for the FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Everton on Sunday, with David Ngog, who has never started a Barclays Premier League match, preferred among the substitutes.

The latest snub has left Keane, 28, more concerned than ever about his long-term prospects at Anfield and, while he intends to stay and fight for his place, Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, has indicated an interest in taking him back to White Hart Lane, whether in this transfer window or at the end of the season.

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BACKGROUND

• Anfield feuds add spice to derby

• Kuwaitis line up £500m bid for Liverpool

• Gerrard denies assault over nightclub brawl

• Lawrenson says Gerrard expects Keane move

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• Spurs fans: do you want Robbie Keane back?

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Redknapp has already re-signed two former Tottenham players this month, with the return of Jermain Defoe from Portsmouth followed by that of Pascal Chimbonda from Sunderland yesterday, and he indicated that Keane would be a target if Liverpool are willing to cut their losses on the forward.

Manchester City also showed a vague interest in Keane this month, but they have since signed Craig Bellamy from West Ham United, so Tottenham would be in pole position should their former crowd favourite become available.

“I wouldn’t sit here and say I wouldn’t like to have Robbie Keane at my club because I would be a liar if I did,” Redknapp said. “But he belongs to Liverpool, so it is not an option, unfortunately. As a player and a person, I have a lot of time for Robbie Keane. I think he’s fantastic.” While Redknapp’s statement may appear to rule out an imminent approach for Keane, he made similar public overtures while canvassing whether Portsmouth would be willing to sell Defoe.

As with that transfer, the structure of the original deal may work in Tottenham’s favour. They are likely to offer Liverpool a small sum while waiving the balance of approximately £10.8 million that is outstanding on the July agreement. Liverpool may prefer an exchange deal, with a player such as Aaron Lennon or Gareth Bale moving in the opposite direction.

Keane is determined to make things work at Liverpool, the club he supported as a boy, but he is known to be disappointed by his position amid concerns that he may be a victim of the power struggle between Rafael Benítez, the manager, and Rick Parry, the chief executive. While Benítez was glad to sign Keane, he was less happy that Parry and his fellow board members pushed through the deal while refusing to support him with a bid to sign Gareth Barry, his prime target, from Aston Villa.

The tension between Benítez and Parry has increased in recent weeks, with the board rejecting the manager’s request to be given full control of transfer policy as he sought a redefinition of his role during his contract negotiations.

There have been suggestions that Benítez is trying to make a point while hoping to reopen contract talks with the club’s owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. Benítez, though, has said that Keane’s omission from the squad against Everton was a football decision, with Ngog preferred on the basis of his form in the reserve team.

Contrary to reports that Keane refused to attend the match in protest at his omission, the player reluctantly accepted Benítez’s decision and trained with his team-mates yesterday. He hopes to be involved away to Wigan Athletic tomorrow evening and firmly expects to stay for the rest of the season, but, having lasted 90 minutes in only five of the club’s 34 matches in all competitions this season, his role under Benítez appears increasingly peripheral.