Clubs: Nottingham Forest FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC

• Joined Nottingham Forest at 14 and graduated through the youth setup, turning professional at 17 and making his debut in April 2002.

• Made 83 league appearances for Forest, during which time he became the captain of the England Under-21 team; joined Spurs in January 2005 in a joint deal with Irish midfielder Andy Reid.

• Played in 58 of Spurs' 59 matches in 2006/07, during which he captained the side for the first time, and was rewarded with a new five-year contract.

• Won the League Cup in 2008 but lost his way following Harry Redknapp's arrival, only to re-emerge as a key figure in the club's excellent 2009/10 campaign, at the end of which he was voted Tottenham's player of the year.

• Replaced injured captain Rio Ferdinand at the eleventh hour in England's 2010 FIFA World Cup squad in South Africa but did not make his debut until the team's first post-World Cup friendly – against Hungary at Wembley on 11 August 2010.

• Suffered a knee injury on his first international start the following month against Bulgaria in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier, ruling him out of Tottenham's first UEFA Champions League group stage campaign.