Tottenham captain Ledley King has warned teammates they cannot let the Carling Cup final affect their season like last term.

King, along with vice-captain Robbie Keane, lifted the trophy a year ago after beating Chelsea at Wembley but then won just three more Premier League games until Juande Ramos was sacked and Harry Redknapp appointed in October.

"I think we really believed we could push on from last year's Carling Cup final win but the disappointing thing is that it has not happened," said King.

"We were looking to really push up the league this year and make a challenge and compete with the top four teams. That has not happened and that is disappointing. We know that we can beat the big teams on our day."

King, who is set to tell Redknapp whether his knee is ready for the game against United, was one of the players pictured partying until the early hours after winning the trophy last year but there is unlikely to be a repeat this time.

Redknapp's squad have been booked to stay in a hotel after the match, regardless of whether they win or lose.

It explains how important the Boro match is, as the trip to Hull was on Monday.

"Before the Hull game, I did say to the players when we trained and the day of the match that it was more important than the final next week," Redknapp said.

"I wanted to make sure we were focused on getting a win at Hull. If we'd got beaten there, we'd have been in a desperate position, bang in trouble.

"But that win gave us all a big lift. It started the week off right and gave us all a big boost for the rest of the week."