Harry Kane has been ruled out until early March with an ankle ligament injury, Tottenham have confirmed.
The England striker suffered the problem in the dying moments of Spurs’ 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
A club statement read: “Following preliminary assessments, we can confirm that Harry Kane 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.”
The loss of leading scorer Kane, who has 20 goals so far this season, represents a huge blow to third-placed Tottenham’s titles hopes, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side now some nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
Kane’s spell on the sidelines compounds what has been an extraordinary season of injuries for Spurs.
They now look considerably short of options up front, with Heung-min Son away on international duty and Lucas Moura also out through injury.
The club are expected to sell both Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen this summer, which would leave them without a recognised senior striker until Kane’s return.
Kane is now set to miss the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea, which Spurs lead 1-0, on January 24, as well as the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie at home to Borussia Dortmund next month.
Spurs will also be missing their star man for at least six scheduled Premier League matches, including the trip to Stamford Bridge on February 27.
Kane is also highly likely to be unavailable for the north London derby against Arsenal on March 2 and the return meeting with Dortmund three days later.
Kane responded to the news of his injury on Twitter, and said: “Injuries are part of the game but no-one will be working harder to get back fit. Thanks for the messages.”
