Explained: Why Harry Kane isn't playing for Spurs & when will he return?

Tottenham will take the field for their Champions League semi-final first-leg encounter with Ajax at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday without star man Harry Kane.

The England forward, who has twice won the Premier League Golden Boot and who has netted 24 times in 39 outings for Spurs this season, has not featured for Mauricio Pochettino’s side since suffering an injury against Manchester City in the first leg of the quarter-final clash.

Kane went off after 58 minutes of the 1-0 win, with his manager left to lament: “It's a worry for us.

“We are going to miss him - maybe for the rest of the season. We hope it is not a big issue but there is not too much time to recover.”

Two days later, the official verdict from the club fell.

“Following assessment over the past two days, we can confirm that Harry Kane has sustained a significant lateral ligament injury to his left ankle following a challenge in our Champions League quarter-final, first-leg win against Manchester City,” a statement read.

“Investigations are ongoing and he will continue to be assessed by our medical staff over the coming week.”

It was a particular blow for Kane given that he had been ruled out for a month in January with a similar problem sustained in a 1-0 home loss to Manchester United while the club were still at Wembley.

Ankle problems have plagued the forward for each of the last three years, starting in the autumn of 2016, when he missed seven weeks.

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When will Harry Kane return from injury?

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Tottenham have been reticent to give an exact timescale for the player’s return, though they are not ruling him out of a return late in the campaign.

Speaking on Saturday, Pochettino hinted that he remains optimistic that the 25-year-old could see action before the end of the season: “We'll see. Yesterday we were talking. We will see what happens.

“If you said to me he is going to be available for the second leg in Ajax or the last [Premier League] game against Everton, I don't know.

“For sure it is going to be difficult. If we are capable of beating Ajax and be in the final in June 1 then maybe yes.”

With England due to play a Nations League semi-final against Netherlands on June 6, it seems he stands a chance of turning out for the Three Lions in that clash.