Harry Kane facing second scan as Tottenham fret over ankle injury

Harry Kane will undergo a second scan on his injured ankle as Tottenham Hotspur bid to learn the full extent of the problem which threatens to derail their season. The 23-year-old was stretchered off during the win over Sunderland last week but Spurs are yet to give a timescale over his absence, though he will miss the Premier League trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday [24 September].

The Daily Mail understand the England international could spend as long as two months on the sidelines, making him a doubt for the World Cup qualifier against Scotland as well as the north London derby with Arsenal. Kane played in all of the club's Premier League fixtures last term and is staring down the barrel of his first extended rest for two years.

But having netted 25 league goals for Tottenham last term, Kane's importance cannot be overstated, hence the caution the club are showing over confirming how long he will be missing. Mauricio Pochettino has refrained from delivering a prognosis but says a second scan should reveal the full degree of the damage.

"We are waiting for another scan next week and then we can assess it much better and know how his recovery will be," the Tottenham boss said, according to Ham & High. "It's still swelling, the ankle, and we need to wait a few more days.

"Now we need to be positive, we cannot change the past. He's very positive, he feels good, he's in a good mood. That's very important, to have all the energy and be focused on being available as soon as possible."

Danny Rose, among the flurry of players to agree new contracts with Tottenham in recent weeks, could make his first appearance since August's draw with Liverpool, against Middlesbrough. Rose withdrew from England's World Cup qualifier against Slovakia with a hamstring problem and has missed his club's last three matches. Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier were also considered injury doubts after going off in the last 15 minutes of the victory over Sunderland, but Pochettino is confident both will be available.

"We need to assess them today but they are working very well," the Argentine coach added. "We'll see because Eric, Mousa and Danny Rose are very close to being available. I need to assess them in the last training session today. If not this weekend maybe [they will be back] on Tuesday in the Champions League in Russia.

"It was a little bit more than cramp [for Dembele and Dier on Sunday] but it was a very small issue. They're running, they're working nearly at the same level as the healthy players. Now I need to decide whether we take a risk or not, or wait for the Champions League game in Moscow or against Manchester City [next Sunday] – but it's sure they don't spend more time [out] than that."