Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker believes that his injury lay off will benefit him in the long run.

The England international has missed the bulk of the Premier League season so far following an Achilles injury suffered at EURO 2012 over the summer.

He made his first start of the campaign during the club’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United, and is now expected to play a key role in Andre Villas-Boas’ midfield with Sandro ruled out for the remainder of the season through injury.

Despite his lack of game time, Parker believes that he is ready to play:

"I think the break has really done me good and I feel fit and sharp. I touch wood when I say it because football can come around and bite you on the backside, but I feel really good.” He told the club’s official website.

"On a personal level I feel fine, really good. I've had a few games now and I'm raring to go and get right back into it.”

He also feels that the break will be beneficial in the long run, and he may be fitter than he has been for some time:

"In a weird way I think my body needed that rest because I've played a lot of football for many years now and that was probably the longest I've been out for as long as I can remember."

Now he is back, Parker is fully committed to helping Spurs maintain their good start to the season and help them qualify for next season’s Champions League:

"We need to stay as strong as we can and try to maintain what we've done in the first half of the season. We got some great results over the Christmas period and we need to maintain it."

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