Spurs sweat over Kane amid reports of lengthy absence

Kane sustained an ankle ligament problem for the third time in 18 months during Tottenham’s 4-1 win at Bournemouth on Sunday.

According to reports in the British media on Tuesday, the injury is serious enough that Kane is facing a race against time to return to action in time for the World Cup in June.

It was said Kane could be out until the end of April, which would be a major blow to Tottenham’s hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four and winning the FA Cup.

Kane, who has scored 35 times for Tottenham this season, would only have a handful of matches remaining this term to prove his fitness to England manager Gareth Southgate.

England will face Tunisia, Belgium and Panama in the World Cup group stage in Russia.

When Kane was injured twice with the same problem last season, he missed seven weeks from September, then just over three weeks from March.

If the latest injury is as bad as feared, Kane would miss the FA Cup quarter-final at Swansea on Saturday, the semi-final if Tottenham progress and four league fixtures, including clashes with Chelsea and Manchester City.

He is also set to be absent from England’s two friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy this month.

However, other reports said it has not yet been possible to discover how long Kane will be out because he hasn’t had a complete scan due to swelling around the joint.

The 24-year-old was pictured with his foot in a brace and using crutches when out in Essex on Monday.

The injury occurred after a collision with Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic in the first half at Dean Court.

Kane tried to play on, but was forced to come off and left the ground on crutches.