Harry Redknapp will not use today’s visit of Aston Villa to discuss Darren Bent, and said he may not spend at all in January if Queens Park Rangers enter the new year in an apparently hopeless position.

Of the club’s six fixtures before the turn of the year only one – the St Stephen’s Day visit of West Brom – is against a club currently in the top half of the table.

But six of their first seven league matches of 2013 will be against current top-half sides, with Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United among them.

With his team four points adrift at the bottom, yet to win a game and with the worst goal difference, Redknapp’s feeling is the club’s future is likely to be determined before January.

“Darren Bent’s a good player, but I’m not even looking at January, honestly. It’s now,” said Redknapp.

“There’s games between now and the window that really will decide where we’re going. If we’re still in [contention], we can look and see if we can go from there.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re not cut adrift and that we’re back in there with a chance,” he said.

“What’s the point in the club spending money in January, bringing more players in, if we’re cut adrift?

“I don’t want us to put ourselves in a situation where next year we’re overloaded with wages and not in the division. What we do in the next six or seven games will decide where we go in January.”