England skipper suffered another injury in the 1-0 Champions League win over Man City - and a leading specialist says the striker might need an op to restore the strength of his ligament
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HARRY KANE has been told surgery may be the best way to end his regular ankle woe.
The Spurs' striker hopes to be fit for England's Nations League semi-final with Holland on June 6 after suffering a fifth ankle ligament injury in three years during Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Manchester City.
But Kane is unlikely to play again for Spurs this season - and specialist surgeon Mark Davies believes the 25-year-old should consider a long-term fix.
Davies, from the London Foot and Ankle Centre, told the Press Association: "At some point I think they would think about doing something surgically to stabilise the ligament
"I would certainly talk to him about the what advantages of having surgery would have.
"If he wasn't playing football and he wasn't going over on it then I wouldn't do anything about it but every time you turn your ankle you run the risk of lateral ligament damage in the ankle.
"He's not that old, he could do with a stable ankle if he wants to carry on playing long term without it happening again.
"It is a routine operation because the ligament needs to be tightened up and that is fairly easy."
Kane would face three months out if he had the op.
But Davies added: "If he were to have surgery, the surgeon would almost certainly use an internal brace, a device you put over the ligament repair and is incredibly strong.
"It means you are not just relying on scar tissue regaining strength so it would improve his chances of coming back.
"Nobody is immune to spraining an ankle, you can have the strongest ligament in the world and if you subject it to enough force it would sprain, but you should restore it to pre-injury levels of stability."
Kane might be particularly reluctant to have any surgery this time around as he is dreaming of Spurs reaching the Champions League final in Madrid on June 1 - five days before England's big date with the Dutch in Portugal.
Meanwhile, Davies argues surgery is a far better option for Kane than just being extra cautious with how quickly he returns from injuries.
He said: "There is no merit in him having an extended rest, they are not sending him back too early, it's just that he has got an unstable ankle," Davies added.
"When you suffer that injury, the ligament doesn't get as strong, so the slacker and slacker it is going to get, the more frequently it is going to happen.
"They do get him back very quickly, but they wouldn't send him out if he wasn't ready."
