Tottenham Hotspur’s worst fears have been realised after a scan on Harry Kane’s left ankle confirmed he sustained ligament damage during the defeat by Manchester United. The England captain is not expected even to resume training until early March.
The striker had hobbled away from Wembley on Sunday after hurting the joint in a challenge with Phil Jones towards the end of the 1-0 loss and, while he had initially conceded he would miss at least a month in rehabilitation, medical tests on the ankle suggest his absence will extend further.
The forward was photographed on crutches and wearing a protective boot as he visited a Harley Street clinic in central London to be scanned on Tuesday morning and Tottenham later issued a brief statement confirming the damage.
The club are now resigned to being without their talismanic forward in both legs of their Champions League knockout tie against Borussia Dortmund and, should they progress beyond Chelsea, in the Carabao Cup final where Manchester City surely await.
The 25-year-old is no stranger to ankle problems having endured time on the sidelines in each of the last three years, missing seven weeks in the autumn of 2016, after suffering injuries on the joint. However, with Spurs 1-0 up from the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, his absence this time is particularly untimely, and he is likely to miss at least 11 games while he undertakes his rehabilitation.