Harry Kane injury news: What is Tottenham’s record without Kane and how will Mauricio Pochettino adapt?
Spurs face an anxious wait to learn the full extent of Kane’s latest ankle injury, but their record without him offers some hope
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Your support makes all the difference.Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is set for an anxious wait to find out the extent of Harry Kane’s latest ankle injury, after his talismanic striker hobbled off during last night’s 1-0 win over Manchester City.
After colliding with England team-mate Fabian Delph, Kane was immediately unable to put any weight on his left boot, eventually leaving Tottenham’s new stadium on crutches with his left foot in a brace.
The club’s medical staff will now wait for any swelling around the ankle to subside, before Kane undergoes a scan that will reveal just how bad the injury is.
With Tottenham travelling to Manchester for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final next Wednesday, and with six Premier League matches remaining in the race for the top four, Kane’s injury could scarcely have come at a worse time for the club.
But it’s not the first time Spurs have found themselves without Kane, with Pochettino’s side adapting well to the absence of their striker earlier this season. But what was their exact record without him, and what tactics will Pochettino now likely utilise for the rest of the season?
Spurs without Kane this season
This is not the first ankle injury that Kane has suffered this season. In January, he limped of the pitch in the closing stages of Tottenham’s 1-0 home defeat by Manchester United, shaking his head and grimacing as the club’s medical team rushed to attend him.
After the swelling subsided, the club announced that they expected him to be out for at least one month. “Following preliminary assessments, we can confirm that Harry Kane has damaged ligaments in his left ankle, sustained during Sunday's match against Manchester United,” the club’s statement read.
“The striker will continue to be monitored by our medical staff as he commences rehabilitation and is expected to return to training in early March.”
That ruled him out of the club’s Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Borussia Dortmund – but Spurs performed admirably in his absence.
They won their next match away at Fulham, and would go on to win five of their seven matches without Kane, including their first leg against Dortmund. With the odds against them, Spurs produced an incredible second-half performance, scoring three goals in arguably their finest performance of the season.
Kane eventually returned earlier than expected, starting Tottenham’s match away at Burnley at the end of February. The 25-year-old scored, but Spurs slumped to a 2-1 defeat and went on to lose four of their next five Premier League matches: their worst ever run of form under Pochettino.
Tottenham 2018/19 with Kane: Played 39, Won 24 (62%)
Tottenham 2018/19 without Kane: Played 9, Won 6 (66%)
How will Pochettino react?
Son Heung-min, who scored the winning goal against Manchester City on Tuesday night, is the most likely man to step into Kane’s shoes.
When he first arrived at Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen, Son had spent the vast majority of his career playing as a wide forward or winger rather than a lone striker, but he has been forced to become more versatile in recent years.
Encouragingly for Spurs, he shone in Kane’s absence earlier this season. Buoyed by the additional responsibility of finding himself Tottenham’s principal goal threat, he scored four times in four games, including in the 3-0 win over Dortmund.
And yet when Kane returned to the Tottenham starting XI, Son’s form dipped, with the South Korea international going six games without a goal.
Pochettino does have other options. Son was still on international duty for the first two games Kane missed after his ankle injury against Manchester United, with Fernando Llorente coming in to plug the gap, supported by Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli.
Llorente struggled to impress during that period, but did score vital goals against Dortmund and Chelsea, and the Spaniard could be turned to when Pochettino decides that Son needs a rest. Expect Son to be wrapped in cotton wool now that Kane’s season hangs in the balance.
How have Spurs played without Kane?
Statistics from 2018/19 season
With Kane:
39 games, 24 wins, 3 draws, 12 defeats
73 goals scored, 1.9 avg. goals for
41 goals against, 1.1 avg. goals against
61.5 win percentage
Without Kane:
9 games, 6 wins, 1 draw, 2 defeats
17 goals scored, 1.9 avg. goals for
10 goals against, 1.1 avg. goals against
66.7 win percentage
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