Spurs hope ankle-injury Kane will return to action in four weeks

Striker will miss two international friendlies and at least three Tottenham games

Harry Kane holding his ankle during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Spurs on March 11th. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur expect Harry Kane to be back in training next month and to return to action in about four weeks after a scan revealed the extent of the injury he suffered at Bournemouth on Sunday.

The club announced that “preliminary assessments have confirmed that Kane has damaged lateral ligaments in his right ankle”. The statement added: “He is expected to return to first-team training next month.”

It is the third time since the beginning of last season that the striker has suffered this injury. On the first occasion, when he went down at Sunderland in September 2016, he was out for seven weeks, while on the second, which came against Millwall at White Hart Lane in March 2017, he was out for four weeks. Tottenham believe the latest setback is more similar to the Millwall injury.

The update will reassure England fans, who worried that Kane's World Cup might be in jeopardy.

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However, it will rule him out of Gareth Southgate's squad for this month's friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy, plus at least three Tottenham games – the FA Cup quarter-final at Swansea City on Saturday and the Premier League fixtures at Chelsea and Stoke City.

Tottenham face Manchester City at home on April 14th, when, if all goes well, Kane could make his comeback. The FA Cup semi-finals are scheduled for April 21st-22nd.