TOTTENHAM teenager Danny Rose admits he is more desperate than ever to feature for Tottenham this weekend – as he looks forward to a rapid reunion with Peterborough United. Spurs host the Posh at White Hart Lane this Saturday...

By Ben Pearce

TOTTENHAM teenager Danny Rose admits he is more desperate than ever to feature for Tottenham this weekend - as he looks forward to a rapid reunion with Peterborough United.

Spurs host the Posh at White Hart Lane this Saturday in the FA Cup, and 19-year-old Rose is more than familiar with the visitors, having spent six weeks on loan with the Championship's bottom team earlier this season.

"I was sitting in bed watching the FA Cup draw and I was thinking we were either going to get Leeds or Peterborough or Watford - the three other teams that I've played for," Rose told Ham&High Sport.

"When Peterborough came up I just felt excited, that maybe I might get a chance to play against my old club. Aaron Maclean and Sean Batt are there, and I texted them so tell them that they're going down when they come here!"

Aaron's a striker and he definitely helped me when I was there. I think he knows Aaron [Lennon], so Aaron told him to help me out. As soon as I got there he sort of put his arm around me and we got along straight away.

"The goalkeeper, Joe Lewis, he's a good man as well. He was a bit quiet when we went away to the European Championships with the Under-21s, but when I went to Peterborough I saw a different side to him. He's one of the main guys there and he's full of banter."

Rose left Leeds for Tottenham in July 2007, shortly after his 17th birthday, but has struggled to break through under both Juande Ramos and Harry Redknapp.

Having made just one competitive appearance for Spurs, he has seen most of his competitive action during loan spells in the Championship - with Watford last season and recently Peterborough.

The England Under-21 international was supposed to stay at London Road until January, but his loan spell ended when Posh boss Darren Ferguson was sacked.

Rose admits to mixed feelings about his spell in Cambridgeshire, and he is keen to make a point this weekend - at his own club, and also to the visitors.

"I gained a valuable experience at Peterborough - that you don't win every game and it's difficult when you're playing down at the bottom," he said. "No disrespect to Peterborough, but you play less football when you're down at the bottom. Everyone's panicking when you're getting beaten every week.

"In that respect it was a valuable experience, but I wasn't in the team every week so I've got kind of mixed emotions. I felt as if I should have been playing and I wasn't getting in the team so I was a bit upset, but I wouldn't change the experience for anything.

"I hope the manager will give me a chance to play at the weekend. I'm struggling to get on the bench and in the team for the Premier League games, and I played a little bit at Doncaster in the Carling Cup, so hopefully if I don't start I can make the bench and get half an hour and show him what I can do.

"With the squad at Tottenham, I do know that it's difficult for anyone to break through. You just look at the bench and you see the likes of Gareth Bale and Jermaine Jenas, but you've just got to keep your head strong and keep carrying on. I have faith and I hope that one day I'll get a chance here - hopefully on Saturday.

"I think I've been on the bench four times in the last six or seven games, but, when it comes to 2010, every young footballer wants to be playing regularly.

"We'll see how the next few games go but if I'm not involved then obviously I want to go out and play football.

"The manager here is renowned for sending all the young players out on loan and he'll want me to play some football. I'd like to go to a team that's not struggling against relegation. I'd like to try myself at a high Championship team.