Tottenham manager José Mourinho has claimed Harry Kane could be out for far longer than initially believed after the striker tore his hamstring on New Year's Day.
The striker appeared to have equalised for Spurs during the second half of their 1-0 loss to Southampton on New Year's Day, but his effort was subsequently ruled out for offside. It then transpired Kane had injured himself in his attempts to draw Tottenham level, with the frontman swiftly leaving the field of play.
An official statement from Tottenham had indicated the England captain would be out of action until April. However, Mourinho has since claimed that may be too optimistic.
Speaking ahead of Tottenham's FA Cup third round replay against Middlesbrough on Monday night, the Portuguese said (as quoted by the Telegraph): "News on Harry - we don’t have, and if you ask me every time we come here the answer will be the same.
"We expect him to be out until mid-April, end of April, May, next season. I don’t know."
Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min are likely to share the burden of covering for Kane, though Spurs could follow through on their interest in AC Milan forward Krzysztof Piatek as they look to bolster their options in attack.
Spurs are believed to be weighing up a move for the Polish hitman, and the Rossoneri seem happy to let him leave, should they receive a fee in the region of £30m. Aston Villa are also monitoring his situation at San Siro, however.
Kane's absence has posed problems for England coach Gareth Southgate ahead of Euro 2020, with the striker set to miss two of England's four warm-up games.
However, the 49-year-old's worries have been eased by Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, who has spoken of his desire to capitalise on the skipper's fitness struggles.
Despite his confidence, Abraham has a sizeable task ahead as he aims to make up for the loss of Kane, with the latter scoring in all of the Three Lions' Group A fixtures en route to qualifying for Euro 2020.
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Source :
90min
