Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas denies he's actively seeking to sell Rafael van der Vaart.

Van der Vaart was left out of the starting line-up for defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday.

"Rafa was very unlucky because when he came from his vacation after the Euros he got injured in the game against LA Galaxy so he missed most of our pre-season in America and Sigurdsson was with us all pre-season," Villas-Boas said.

"He couldn't therefore play against Watford and Valencia so he came back late for selection and it was pretty straightforward to select Sigurdsson for the Newcastle game.

"Now Rafa has trained with us all week and he's looking strong and in contention."