In Brief

Tottenham’s striker crisis: Harry Kane ruled out until March

Fernando Llorente backed to fill in for the injured England captain

by The Week team

16 Jan 2019

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane receives treatment for his injured ankle

Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that star striker Harry Kane will not return to training until March after he injured his ankle last weekend.

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Kane sustained ankle ligament damage in the final minutes of the 1-0 defeat against Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday and he is now set to miss at least six Premier League games.

The England captain won’t feature for Spurs in next Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea or the FA Cup clash at Crystal Palace on 27 January. The BBC adds that he is also likely to be ruled out of the two-legged Champions League last-16 tie with Borussia Dortmund.

In a statement Spurs said: “Following preliminary assessments, we can confirm that Harry Kane has damaged ligaments in his left ankle, sustained during Sunday’s match against Manchester United.

“The striker will continue to be monitored by our medical staff as he commences rehabilitation and is expected to return to training in early March.”

The 25-year-old Kane posted on Twitter: “Injuries are part of the game but no-one will be working harder to get back fit.”

Who will score the goals for Spurs?

With 20-goal top scorer Kane now out injured and 12-goal forward Heung-Min Son away for a month at the Asia Cup with South Korea, Spurs are facing a striker shortage.

The attacking options for Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino include 33-year-old Fernando Llorente and Brazilian Lucas Moura. However, 26-year-old Moura has also recently been out injured because of a knee problem.

Former Spurs boss David Pleat is backing Spaniard Llorente to step in and prove his worth. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Pleat said: “Llorente is a very honest trainer, he has had to play in the shadows, he is excellent in the air, and did wonderfully well for Swansea before he came to Spurs.

“Last time he played he was excellent, albeit against Tranmere. Fans should not be too downcast, it could be he goes in and does particularly well.”

Tottenham’s next match is a Premier League trip across London to Fulham on Sunday (4pm).