Following confirmation late last night that England striker Harry Kane had suffered ‘significant’ damage to his ankle with ligament issues being a concern for all, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed today that next week we will learn more about the severity of the problem.
The expectation is the 25-year-old top scorer will now be out for the remainder of the campaign and in many ways that’s no bad thing as it will give him an extended rest and a chance to rehabilitate more slowly, which may have its own benefits for his ankle down the line.
There is some talk of letting it heal naturally though, or going for the surgery option which would end his season, but again, could be of more benefit further down the line.
Speaking to Sky Sports with a recovery timeline still to be set, Pochettino explained that far more would become clear next week after a meeting with a specialist.
Asked the question about a return before the end of 2018/19.
“We’ll see. There’s still five weeks and we need to assess, but it’s going to be difficult for sure. It’s going to be tough. It looks like a similar injury, but next week we’ll have a proper answer because he needs to see the specialist and see his rehab. We need to assess him every day but we need to have proper answers to see when he possibly can start training with the team, but today it is impossible to give a date.”
His last injury saw him out for a month even though he came back slightly quicker than most expected, but with only five odd weeks of the season left, to me at least, it makes more sense to not rush him now and take a longer-term approach.