Tottenham Hotspur non-executive director Sir Keith Mills has claimed that the club may be forced to release manager Harry Redknapp to England but has rejected suggestions that the coach could work for Spurs part-time.

The former Portsmouth boss is the front-runner to snatch the Three Lions managerial role and although there have been suggestions that the 64-year-old could juggle both jobs, Mills believes that it is unworkable.

"I don't think [a part-time role is] really workable," Mills told Sky Sports News. "We can't do anything and neither can Harry until the FA have decided on their shortlist.

"We've said to Harry, and frankly Harry's said to us that he loves the club, we love him at the club, the spectators love him, the players love him, the coaches love him, we all want him to stay, it's a fantastic job, he loves it.

"But I guess there's something special about being the England manager and I don't know whether, ultimately, he'll make that decision. At the end of the day, it'll be Harry's decision."

Mills believes that if Redknapp's "heart" is not at White Hart Lane then the North London club will have to allow the manager to leave.

"You can't force somebody to do a job to be honest and it doesn't matter what the contract says, if somebody's heart is somewhere else and it doesn't matter whether it's a player or a manager, you need to let them go," Mills added.

Redknapp has spoken out about the speculation but has insisted that his focus is on Tottenham.