Tottenham defender and captain Ledley King is set to miss the rest of the Premier League campaign.

Tottenham have told King to rest after recovering from a long term knee injury which has seen him miss most of the season.

King, who is an England international and has played 19 times for his country helped Tottenham win the Carling Cup in February against Chelsea. He has only played 10 games this season and Spurs are now looking to keep him free from injury so he is ready for next season.

Tottenham have missed having King commanding their back line this season and this has being evident throughout the season as the defence has struggled to keep clean sheets. They lost their last match 4-1 against Newcastle at home last Saturday.

Although King has 19 England caps he has only played four times in the last two years, his most recent game being against Estonia in June 2007. He also had surgery on his knee in June 2007 to try and sort the injury out.

Now Tottenham have little to play for in the Premier League they have told King to rest for the rest of the season and be fit for the start of next season.

King said he felt good, and his knee was in good shape, but he and the club don’t want to risk anything for the future. I could play in the last six matches of the season but in the long term I’d prefer to sit out to ensure I’m fit for the start of the next season.