Spurs injury news: Harry Kane set for shock return

Harry Kane could make a shock return for Spurs this weekend after making a quicker-than-expected recovery from a damaged ankle ligament.

The England forward was injured during Tottenham's FA Cup quarter-final win over Millwall last month, but manager Mauricio Pochettino said he was in contention for the game against Watford on Saturday.

"Tottenham revealed that the 23-year-old was back in full training but the Spurs boss said he is yet to decide if Kane will start or be on the bench," reports Sky Sports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Pochettino said: "Harry has pushed himself a lot to be fully recovered and get to 100 per cent.

"We know what he means to the team. He's a special player. Of course, he wants to start. He is always desperate to play. He's always in front of you, pushing you to try to play and score goals. His character is unbelievable."

Spurs were expected to struggle without the striker but have won all three games he has missed, including a stunning fightback against Swansea in midweek, in which Kane's replacement, Son Heung-min, scored a vital goal, his second in two games.

However, Tottenham have problems at the back, with Danny Rose out with a knee problem and both first-choice goalkeepers struggling.

"Spurs will hand Hugo Lloris every chance to shake off a virus, while Michel Vorm is also battling a knee issue," reports the Daily Telegraph.

"Spain Under-21s star Lopez could be in for his Spurs debut then, with Pochettino backing the 22-year-old, who is on loan from Espanyol, to be ready for first-team action."

Betfair - new customer offer - bet £10 and get £10 in free bets

Spurs injury news: Kane to return for FA Cup and Arsenal

16 March

Striker's ankle injury is not as bad as feared and he could be back for Tottenham's trip to Wembley

Spurs have been given a boost after injured striker Harry Kane was pencilled in for a return to the side before Tottenham's FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea. He is also expected to play at the crucial north London derby against Arsenal a week later.

The news is a "huge boost" for manager Mauricio Pochettino as his side try to maintain the pressure on Chelsea, the runaway Premier League leaders, says The Sun.

The striker injured his ankle in the early stages of the FA Cup clash with Millwall at the weekend and there were concerns that he would miss the rest of the season.

Spurs have confirmed that the 24-year-old suffered ligament damage but "the injury is not as bad as initially feared", says the Sun. Kane will be available for the final month of the season.

The club are still waiting for the swelling to fully subside before assessing the amount of movement in his ankle, says Sky Sports.

"Tottenham are not putting a time-frame on the striker's return but believe the injury is not as serious as a similar knock that kept him out for eight weeks earlier this season," says the broadcaster. Sky claims that Kane is being lined up for a return in the home fixture against Bournemouth on 15 April.

Spurs face Chelsea in the FA Cup a week after that and play Arsenal on 30 April in a game that could go a long way to determining whether Spurs can finish above the Gunners for the first time since 1995 and also qualify for the Champions League.

Because of the international break at the end of the month, Kane might only miss four league matches – against Southampton, Burnley, Swansea and Watford. Spurs will be confident of winning all of them even without their top scorer who is level with Romelu Lukaku on 19 goals for the season, despite having played only 22 games.