Managerless Spurs to fly to New Zealand for friendly

Managerless Tottenham said Monday they are to travel 24 hours across the globe for a pre-season friendly in New Zealand in July - by which time they could be in the second-tier Championship.

Tottenham are embroiled in a Premier League relegation dogfight and searching for their third manager of the season after parting company with Igor Tudor on Sunday after just seven games.

The London side sit one point above the bottom three relegation places with seven matches remaining.

To begin their pre-season tour they will face Auckland FC on July 26 at Eden Park, the club said.

It is Spurs' second trip to New Zealand, having been there in 1976.

"Whatever happens to Tottenham this season they remain an incredibly high-profile team with a worldwide fans base and we're delighted to have them here in Auckland with us," said Auckland FC chief executive Nick Becker.

Tottenham previously announced that they will play Sydney FC and London rivals Chelsea in Australia on July 29 and August 1 respectively.

Former Brighton and Marseille coach Roberto de Zerbi has been linked with the vacant managerial job, while reports have suggested the club could turn to Sean Dyche to dig them out of trouble.