Tottenham's Alan Hutton will not be allowed to play UEFA Cup football this season because Rangers have dropped into the competition. Spurs will be without £9million signing Hutton for the rest of their European campaign because of Rangers' failure to qualify from their Champions League group.

Hutton's former club dropped into the UEFA Cup after finishing third in their Champions League group which means Hutton is deemed cup-tied, even though he has not played in the competition this season.

However, had Dimitar Berbatov made his much talked-about move to Manchester United in January, he would have been allowed to play Champions League football.

A UEFA Cup spokesman told The Daily Mail: "It is true that Dimitar Berbatov, had he moved to a team playing in the Champions League, would have been able to play in that competition because his current club had not played in that competition.

"But in the case of Hutton, even though he did not play in the UEFA Cup for Rangers, the fact that Rangers have been relegated from the Champions League to the UEFA Cup, means he cannot appear in that competition for Tottenham in the same season."

The Hutton matter falls under UEFA Cup Rules, Chapter 8, Article 17.18, which states: 'One player who has played UEFA club competition matches for another competing club in the current season may exceptionally be registered provided that the player has not been fieled: in the same competition for another club or for another club that is currently in the same competition.

'Furthermore, if the player's new club is playing in the UEFA Cup, his former club must not have played in the UEFA Cup at any point in the the current season.'

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