Klinsmann details Dempsey worries

United States coach Juergen Klinsmann says Clint Dempsey was concerned over his future before moving from Fulham to Tottenham.

Dempsey, 29, secured his switch to White Hart Lane in the final hours of the transfer window after his proposed move to Liverpool ended due to the Anfield club’s unwillingness to match their seven million-pound valuation.

The attacking midfielder ultimately secured a deadline day switch to Spurs, something Klinsmann said was a relief for the player.

“We are happy that this whole thing was finalised, that he got the move to a real international club that is always competing in the top four or six of the Premier League,” Klinsmann said.

“I personally, I’m excited because I played for Tottenham many, many years ago. It gives me a chance to watch one of his games in one of my old places.”

“It is really important now that Clint can put this behind him. It was not all the time really pretty what happened the last couple weeks there.

“Obviously he dragged that with him over the whole summer. Already coming into our May-June camp (it) was always in the back of his mind. He was concerned about it, which is normal.”

Klinsmann has called Dempsey into his 24-man squad which will face Jamaica twice in the space of four days in qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The first match is on September 7 in Kingston, Jamaica.

With Dempsey having not playing in a Premier League game this season, the USA coach said he will assess the forward before making his selection.

“We’ll evaluate him. We’ll sit down with him,” Klinsmann said.

“We’ll discuss his state of mind and also obviously we’ll test his fitness level right away when he comes in to see where he’s at in order to help him. If he’s lagging behind then we’ll know exactly where he’s at and we can help him to catch up as quickly as possible.”

But with Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley missing out through injury, Klinsmann has revealed Dempsey could be handed a start: “We’re absolutely open to throw him in the water right away.

“It really depends on where he’s at, if he’s in a very good physical level,” Klinsmann said.

“He worked out with the fitness coach of Fulham on the side. They did one-on-one work, which is often more effective than team training.”

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