Pavlyuchenko has only played eight minutes in the club's last two matches after reportedly picking up an injury in the team's Carling Cup final defeat to Manchester United. He turned out for Tottenham reserves in a 4-0 win over Chelsea reserves on Monday, setting up a goal for Frazier Campbell, but putting a penalty over the bar.
Tottenham's press office rejected media reports that the Russian international, who joined the north London club from Spartak Moscow in the summer, had been demoted to the second team, pointing out to Sovetski Sport that a number of other first team players, such as England international David Bentley, had also played in the match.
"My friends have already told me about the disturbing information that I have been demoted to the reserves. This isn't true at all. Yes, I played for the reserves in the last match, just like a number of other players who didn't feature in the game against Aston Villa. This was necessary to get match practice," Pavlyuchenko told Sport Express.
"I am continuing to prepare for the next game with the first team," the player said.
Pavlyuchenko has scored 13 goals in 31 appearances for Tottenham this season, nine goals coming in cup ties and four in the Premier League.
Both Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin, man-of-the-match for Arsenal in their last two games, have been called up to the Russian squad for World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan in Moscow on March 28 and away to Lichtenstein on April 1.
