England manager Gareth Southgate says Harry Kane will be back “fairly quickly” as Tottenham continue to plan for Sunday’s trip to Chelsea without their talisman.
Kane damaged ligaments in his right ankle in Spurs’ 4-1 win at Bournemouth last month and will be sidelined until April.
Mauricio Pochettino has refused to rule Kane out of this weekend’s crucial meeting with Chelsea in the Premier League, but it is unlikely the striker will play a part.
Meanwhile, Southgate managed to grab a word with Kane during an England training session at Tottenham’s training centre – the Three Lions face Italy at Wembley on Tuesday evening.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Southgate revealed Kane is in a confident mood as he continues with his recovery.
“I don’t know when he’ll be back, but he was confident that would be sooner rather than later,” said Southgate (via ESPN).
“His mindset is very positive. I would imagine he’ll be back fairly quickly. None of these lads wants to miss games. They’ve all got big matches coming up and want to play a part, and in the summer.”
Spurs have reacted well to Kane’s injury, scoring seven goals in two games since the 24-year-old limped off at the Vitality Stadium.
But Sunday will be a test of Tottenham’s ability to perform without Kane against a key rival in the battle for Champions League qualification.
