Russia coach Guus Hiddink has warned Tottenham Hotspurs' forgotten man Roman Pavlyuchenko that his World Cup place is jeopardy if he cannot secure more regular first-team football.

The striker enjoyed a profitable first season at White Hart Lane following a £14million move from Spartak Moscow in 2008, but has seen his first-team opportunities drastically limited this term by the form of Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane, and Peter Crouch.

The 27-year-old has featured only as a sub in the league this season, his two starts coming in the Carling Cup, and Hiddink has warned that he may miss out on the World Cup altogether unless he can secure more action.

"There is a danger that Roman will be omitted from the Russian squad for South Africa if his situation doesn't change," Hiddink told the Daily Mail.

"It will depend on other strikers. I'm not going to take six forwards for one position. However, we all know how Pavlyuchenko can improve in the run-up to the World Cup."

Hiddink did however reveal that prior to Euro 2008 Pavlyuchenko had been out of touch before going on to be one of the stars of the tournament, scoring three times as Russia progressed to the semi-finals.

"When we began preparing for Euro 2008, he was not in good form," the Dutch tactician added.

"But with three to four weeks of heavy training he lost four kilos and put himself in a position that allowed him to perform well at the European Championship."

Pavlyuchenko is widely expected to leave White Hart Lane come the January transfer window in a search for a more regular starting berth with reports on Tuesday indicating that Zenit St Petersburg and Besiktas are keen.