Tottenham star Dele Alli sidelined until March
Mauricio Pochettino provides an update on Dele Alli after Tottenham’s win at Fulham and offers an optimistic view of the absence of his key players. (1:09)
Tottenham have been hit with another hammer blow after scans revealed that Dele Alli is set to be sidelined until March with a hamstring injury.
Spurs announced last Tuesday that Harry Kane would miss around two months after suffering ankle ligament damage.
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And, exactly one week on, they have now confirmed the loss of another key attacking player for the same period, with both players expected to return to training in early March.
Alli showed his ability to provide goals in Kane’s absence when he scored for Tottenham at Fulham on Sunday. But Alli, 22, then limped off in the closing stages of the 2-1 victory, and manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted his concern immediately after the match.
A club statement said: “Following scans and clinical assessment, we can confirm that [Alli] has suffered a hamstring strain, sustained during Sunday’s match. Dele will now undergo a period of rehabilitation with our medical staff, with the expectation of returning to training in early March.”
Alli’s third hamstring injury of the season comes at the worst possible time, with Son Heung-min away on international duty at the Asian Cup in addition to Kane’s absence.
Son and his South Korea teammates narrowly overcame Bahrain in Tuesday’s last-16 tie, triumphing 2-1 after extra time and booking their place in the quarterfinals which will take place on Friday.
All three players will miss Thursday’s trip to Chelsea as Spurs defend a 1-0 aggregate lead in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals.
Like Kane, Alli would not be expected to recover in time for February’s final, if Spurs progress past Maurizio Sarri’s Blues. The pair may well miss both legs of the Champions League duel with Borussia Dortmund as well, since the second leg in Germany takes place on March 5.