KANE CROCK HEARTACHE
Ankle injury could rule out Harry for rest of season
HARRY KANE is facing a battle to play again this season after suffering another ankle injury.
The Spurs striker limped off just five minutes into their FA Cup quarter-final rout of Millwall after rolling his right ankle when his foot got trapped under Jake Cooper.
Kane left White Hart Lane on crutches and in a protective boot with manager Mauricio Pochettino fearing he suffered the same injury that ruled him out earlier in the campaign.
The 23-year-old, the Premier League’s joint top scorer with 19 goals, sat out for seven weeks due to ankle ligament damage sustained in September.
And Pochettino last night said: “He twisted his ankle, the same ankle he did in the game against Sunderland.
“Now it’s a matter of waiting. Assess tomorrow and after tomorrow see what happens.
“It’s difficult. It looks a similar situation to Sunderland but we’ll see. If you watch it on television it was a similar action.”
Kane’s injury could wreak havoc with Spurs’ ambitions to reach May’s final at Wembley as well as keep the pressure up on Chelsea in the league.
But they coped yesterday as Kane’s replacement Christian Eriksen found the bottom corner with a half-volley 31 minutes in. Son Heung-min grabbed the first of a hat-trick when he unleashed a strike into the top corner four minutes before half-time.
The South Korean’s firsttime volley nine minutes into the second half made it three before extras from Dele Alli and Vincent Janssen – the striker’s first for the club from open play since joining last summer.
Son completed the rout in stoppage time when his volley sneaked through the hands of Tom King – and Pochettino insists his frontmen must step up should Kane be ruled out.
He said: “We can’t cry about it now. We have to be positive. We have players who can try to replace him.
“When you lose a player like Harry you know you’ll miss him. But it’s important for the players who play in his position, like Son or Vincent, to find the net and score goals.”
The defeat ended Millwall’s 17-match unbeaten run while the League One club could be in hot water with the FA after their fans targeted Son with racists chants.
Both Pochettino and Lions boss Neil Harris said they didn’t hear the abuse but Harris said: “Me personally but the club also, we won’t condone that.”
The FA were last night aware of the incident and are set to write to both clubs for their observations and review the referee’s report before deciding whether to take action.