Source: Team_Talk
Three months on sidelines for Defoe
Tottenham and England striker Jermain Defoe has been ruled out for "around three months" after undergoing surgery on torn ankle ligaments.[LNB] Spurs' fears over the injury the striker suffered in England's European Championship qualifier in Switzerland on Tuesday night were confirmed following consultation with a specialist on Thursday.[LNB]It means the 27-year-old could miss all of his club's Champions League group matches, as well as two England internationals.[LNB]A statement on Spurs' official website read: "Following a review by an ankle specialist, Jermain Defoe underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right ankle yesterday evening.[LNB]"The striker was forced off with the injury during England's European Championship qualifier in Switzerland on Tuesday and has been ruled out of action for around three months."[LNB]Defoe had been confident immediately after Tuesday night's game that the injury which saw him carried off on a stretcher was not serious and that he could even be fit for his club's Premier League game at West Brom.[LNB]But he was on crutches at Spurs' training ground on Thursday and was wearing a protective boot on his right ankle, with manager Harry Redknapp confirming he would be out for a minimum of six weeks.[LNB]But the problem appears to have been even more serious than the injury suffered by team-mate Michael Dawson during England's win over Bulgaria on Friday night.[LNB]Dawson escaped with sprained ankle and knee ligaments, despite his left leg collapsing freakishly beneath him, and was told he would be out for up to eight weeks.[LNB]The absence of two key players is a huge blow for Spurs' ambitions of progressing from their Champions League group in what is their first season in the competition.[LNB]It is also a setback for England boss Fabio Capello, who will need to rethink his plans for next month's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro and possibly November's friendly with France.
