Spurs face wait on Kane news with ankle too swollen to scan

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has confessed that he's still in the dark over the extent of Harry Kane's injured right ankle due to it being too swollen to scan.

The England forward scored the winner in last week's 1-0 win over Sunderland, but suffered the ailment after falling awkwardly following a challenge from Papy Djilobodji towards the end of the tie. Kane was later sighted leaving White Hart Lane on crutches.

The 23-year-old is a certain absentee for Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough, with no news of whether reports of a two-month spell on the sidelines for last season's Premier League top scorer have any grounding.

"We don't know when he will be back," Pochettino admitted. "We need to assess every day. The ankle is still swollen so we need to wait. We will have another scan next week and then we can assess much better. We'll know how long the recovery will be then."

Despite the concerns surrounding his involvement over a crucial period in domestic and continental matters, Pochettino attests that Kane isn't downbeat about the setback.

"We need to be positive about his recovery, but he is very positive about his recovery," he said. "He's in a good mood and that's very important. It's important to have all the energy focused on being available as soon as possible."

The Argentinian handler describes Kane's injury as "a great opportunity" for Vincent Janssen, the Dutch hitman who's likely to deputise. The 22-year-old was signed from AZ Alkmaar over the summer for around £17 million, but has been given time to settle in north London with just one Premier League start so far.

The defensive midfield pairing of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele may have shrugged off the cramps they suffered in the Sunderland tilt, with Danny Rose possibly looking to usurp Ben Davies at left-back on Teesside after a long-term thigh issue.