Alan Hutton believes the rest afforded by Tottenham Hotspur's early League Cup exit is the perfect preparation for the upcoming Manchester United and Inter tests.

Spurs were dumped out of the competition in the third round by local rivals Arsenal. With the upcoming double header on the horizon, the Scotland international was convinced the loss was a blessing in disguise.

"Spurs is a massive club and we're always playing in massive fixtures so you have to keep playing to as high a level as possible," Hutton told the club's official website.

"A few of the boys were tired so it was always going to be tough late on in the [Everton] match, even though we did have some chances.

"It's brilliant to have a clear week now so that we can take it easy and make sure we get the rest in before another tough week ahead.

"There are a lot of big games in there. We want to do well in the Champions League but we have to make sure we come home do well in the league.

"It's tough but we've got a really strong squad and that should help us through these fixtures."