IAN KINGTON/Getty Images
Harry Kane will be out until “early March” after Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the club’s leading goalscorer has an ankle ligament injury.
Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial
Following preliminary assessments, we can confirm that @HKane has damaged ligaments in his left ankle, sustained during Sunday’s match.
He will continue to be monitored by our medical staff as he commences rehabilitation and is expected to return to training in early March. https://t.co/Ot3doPa4K6
Kane was injured during Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in the Premier League. Being without their prolific No. 10 will damage the Lilywhites’ fading title challenge and could even have implications for the north London club’s ambitions on other fronts.
The timeline Spurs have referenced would rule Kane out of the last-16 tie of the UEFA Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. Tottenham host the Bundesliga leaders on Wednesday, February 13, before the return leg takes place in Germany on Tuesday, March 5.
Before then, Spurs have a second leg against London rivals Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final. Tottenham won the first leg 1-0, a slender aggregate lead that looks more precarious still with Kane set to miss the return at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, January 24.
There’s also a fourth-round tie away to another London rival, Crystal Palace, set for Sunday, January 27.
Kane will miss the first leg of Tottenham’s lat-16 tie in the Champions League.Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
Not having Kane’s relentless appetite for goals is sure to put Spurs on the back foot in these competitions. There’s also the not-so small matter of the key league fixtures the England international could miss.
Sunday’s trip to bottom-of-the-table Fulham suddenly looks a lot tougher without the man who has 14 league goals this season. More dropped points would cast Spurs further adrift in the title race after they fell nine behind leaders Liverpool following the loss to United.
However, an away trip to Chelsea at the end of February looms large. The Blues are just a point behind Spurs in fourth and will sense the opportunity to move ahead presented by Kane’s latest injury.
March will begin with a north London derby at home to Arsenal. Tottenham lost 4-2 at the Emirates Stadium in December but will struggle to gain revenge over their neighbours if Kane isn’t in the lineup.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino’s reliance on Kane can’t be over-estimated:
OptaJoe @OptaJoe
119 – Since Mauricio Pochettino became Spurs manager, Harry Kane has scored a league-high 119 Premier League goals, accounting for 36% of Tottenham’s total of 333 in that time. Blow. https://t.co/rHoVknpok9
Kane’s absence is compounded by in-form Heung-Min Son joining up with South Korea for Asian Cup duty. It means the deadly double act that had propelled Tottenham into the thick of the title race has been broken up:
Squawka Football @Squawka
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min have scored 22 goals between them in the Premier League this season.
47.8% of their total now missing from the squad.
Pochettino will find himself turning to Fernando Llorente for inspiration in the final third. The 33-year-old has a good track record from spells with Athletic Bilbao and Juventus.
Llorente is a different kind of striker than Kane, though. He’s more of a natural target man who can play with his back to goal and boss defenders in air.
Llorente doesn’t the pace to spin in behind as well as the varied movement to drift into the channels and away from markers the way Kane often does.
Spurs need versatile wide player Lucas Moura to return from injury and add much-needed pace to a depleted forward line. The Brazilian was unavailable to face United and recently discussed his recovery:
Lucas Moura @LucasMoura7
The knock was strong, it is still painful. I am doing full time treatment to be ready as soon as possible https://t.co/r8ATJLucFq
An extended spell out for Moura, along with the absences of Kane and Son, could push Spurs into action in the January transfer market. The club didn’t sign a single player last summer, but chairman Daniel Levy may have no choice but to seek at least a short-term deal to help the squad cope in attack.
In the meantime, Pochettino will hope for a quick recovery from Kane, while also perhaps grow wary about the number of ankle problems his star man has already experienced:
Kristof Terreur
Harry Kane and the ankle ligament injuries:
2016: 49 days
2017: 24 days
2018: 20 days
2019: ???#thfc #coys https://t.co/EFVcOqDbMI
A recurrence of those issues has come at the worst time for a Spurs squad previously enjoying a solid campaign. Losing Kane again raises serious doubts about whether Pochettino can deliver some elusive trophies.
from Viral News Show http://bit.ly/2VUKkQT
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