Journalist Tom McDermott noted that he spotted a potential injury concern for Tottenham Hotspur star man Harry Kane in Saturday’s defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Tottenham were poor in Saturday’s disappointing 1-0 loss against Brighton when Belgium international Leandro Trossard scored the winner in the dying embers of the game. This result was an uncharacteristic one for Spurs, as they were four games unbeaten before the loss and scored 14 times in that period.
Kane had notched at least one goal or assist in his last six games for Spurs before Saturday’s defeat, and he looked to have picked up a slight knock in the first half of the match, which could have impacted his performance.
On Twitter, McDermott reported that he noticed that Kane was still moving gingerly just before half-time after he picked up a knock earlier on in the first half.
“Thought Kane hurt his ankle earlier in the half. Moving gingerly again,” McDermott said.
We noted two knock-on effects for Spurs if Harry Kane was to miss games due to picking up an injury…
Top four blow?
Spurs currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League table but are just three points above rivals Arsenal, and the Gunners have a game in hand over Antonio Conte’s side.
With the north London derby set to take place on Thursday 12th May, this game could be the one to decide who finishes in a Champions League spot, and Kane being fit could be a huge deciding factor in how that game goes.
Kane has a particularly good record against Arsenal, scoring 11 goals in 16 games in all competitions, so if he is not fit for the game against the Gunners, this could be a huge blow for Spurs’ top-four chances.
Conte worried?
Kane has scored seven goals and registered six assists in his last 10 Premier League games for Spurs, so Conte would surely be worried if he was to lose his star man with such crucial games ahead.
The striker is the key part of a terrifying attacking front three with Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski, so if he was to miss a period of games, this could see a drop-off in form for the South Korean and the Swede.
There is no real recognisable backup striker in the Spurs squad for Kane, so it may mean a shuffle of the pack for Conte, which he may be reluctant to do as his side were performing so well in the current shape before the Brighton loss.
TIF Verdict…
All things considered, Kane missing out on any part of the season’s conclusion would surely be a big blow for Spurs. However, they have excelled without him in crunch games before, perhaps most notably in their run to the Champions League final three years ago, when they successfully navigated the quarter-finals and semi-finals without their talisman up top.
Therefore, it may not be all doom and gloom if his injury problems were to resurface, though it is hardly a scenario the fans nor Conte will be wishing on his team as the season draws to a close.