The Spurs winger has struggled to get into the swing of things so far this campaign after an unsatisfactory World Cup, and while his team-mate Gareth Bale has been exceptional down the left, Lennon has failed to impress on the opposite side.
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Lennon, 23, has not played for England since the World Cup. After the second round defeat to Germany the former Leeds United wideman attracted controversy when he was photographed smoking a cigar.
And Redknapp has admitted that Lennon is not making the same impact on games he was last year.
“If he smokes too many of those cigars he’ll lose his speed and then he’ll be in trouble,” joked Redknapp.
“Some have not been affected by the World Cup and some, like [Wayne] Rooney, have come back and not had a good start. Lennon is not playing like he did last year. He’s just been quiet, marked tight and found it hard to get in the game.”
Redknapp does not appear to consider Lennon’s dip in form a major cause for concern, however, and the likelihood is that the Spurs boss will start him against Dutch champions FC Twente in their Champions League Group A clash on Wednesday night.
“You have to work with him, get his confidence back and get him playing well,” said Redknapp.
“He’s got to fight through that, he can’t give up. He’s a young kid with great ability and needs to find a way to get the best out of himself.”
Lennon has made 199 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham since joining from Leeds in 2005.
By Jonathan Fadugba
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