Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp baffled by Tottenham's timing of pre-season games Getty

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has slammed Spurs for the club's "very strange" decision to play two pre-season games just days before their Premier League opener against Manchester United on Saturday 8 August.

The north London side are currently playing Real Madrid the first of the two games of the Audi Cup at the Allianz Arena in Munich before facing either Bayern Munich or AC Milan on Wednesday 5 August, meaning there will just be three days before to rest before the start of the new season.

United, however, are yet to play a game since their pre-season defeat against Paris Saint-Germain after manager Louis van Gaal recently revealed that following the poor start to the last campaign, he had urged the club board to not schedule a friendly in the week before the opening match of the Premier League.

More about Tottenham

Redknapp says he would not be happy if he was Mauricio Pochettino, while claiming Spurs will be delighted should they manage to get a point at Old Trafford.

"I find it very strange Tottenham are playing two games in Munich in this pre-season tournament just days away from the start of the season. If I was manager I wouldn't be happy with that. I'd think they'd play two different teams in Munich but away at Manchester United is a tough start for Spurs. I hope they can get a result, but it think it's going to be a difficult game. If they can get a point at United they'd be delighted," Redknapp wrote for Kicca.

"But do you want games midweek before you play on a Saturday? The last thing you want is a match on a Wednesday night before the season starts on Saturday. But they're decisions now made now by non-footballing people and taken out of the manager's hands."

Having previously prepared for the new season with a 2-1 defeat against the MLS All-Stars in a friendly at United States on 30 July, Pochettino has opted to deploy a line-up with a number of expected starting players against Real Madrid such as Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane.

Redknapp believes the Argentine boss will use a completely different XI for the second game but still insists it is not the ideal preparation before a game at Old Trafford.

"It can affect the result, of course it can. Two games in the week before you play on the Saturday, it's far from ideal, definitely not the best preparation. Let's hope it doesn't affect them, let's hope they get a result, I'd love to see them win on Saturday at Man Utd but it's not an ideal way to prepare," he said.

"Mauricio Pochettino will play two different teams but it's still not what you want, you want to be on your training ground ironing out a few bits and pieces and focusing on who you're going to play on Saturday."

The former manager believes Tottenham's decision has been made for economic reasons. "It just shows that now the people running clubs aren't footballing people. The footballing people don't decide where they go anymore, they're told where they go by the money men," Redknapp claimed.

"They get told 'we're going to Malaysia, we're going to Hong Kong, we're going to China' it's a global game now, the whole world is watching the Premier League and the money in these places is fantastic for pre-season trip.

"To be fair it's quite interesting for the players, it's good to go to these places like China. I always found it very interesting when we went to these places with Tottenham and Portsmouth. But that's what it is these days, it's not about preparing and getting yourself ready for the season. It's about 'yes, there are two games in Munich and we get £2m quid' or whatever it is."