Tottenham Hotspur striker, Harry Kane, could be out for six months and may miss EURO 2020 with England, according to one of the country’s leading surgeons.
Dr Chris Wilson has apparently performed the same surgery that Kane underwent this month 75 times, and believes that Spurs may have underestimated the time their striker will spend on the sidelines.
Tottenham announced in January that Kane would need surgery after rupturing his tendon in his left hamstring against Southampton on New Years Day.
They also added that they expected Kane to return to training in early April, meaning the striker would be out for a few months.
However, Dr Wilson says there is a big range in opinion with regards to the recovery time and he believes it will be far longer for the England captain.
He added that, for him, the aim would be getting Kane fit for pre-season next campaign and he would be very surprised if Harry made the April deadline.
He said (Daily Mail): ‘I would expect it to be six months before he could return to action.
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‘There is a big range of opinion because it is such an uncommon procedure and some surgeons may say quicker.
‘If the repair was good and sound, the first six weeks he will be nursing the repair and doing very little.
‘Six to 12 weeks, providing everything was OK, he will be doing basic strengthening exercises.
‘At three months you would start a normal hamstring rehabilitation that you would do if you got a tear in the middle of the muscle.
‘If I was talking to a top-level footballer I would want to manage their expectations and say I wouldn’t anticipate them being fit and playing normally in a game for six months following the surgery.
‘If it was me I would say aim for getting fit for pre-season training. I am aware in Harry Kane’s case they have been saying April or May – I have to say I would be very surprised.’
On rushing Kane back, he added: ‘There is a risk of recurrence,’ he said. ‘When you do a hamstring repair, you’ll tell the athlete there is a risk of re-rupture.
‘Coming back too early increases the risk of re-rupture. There is no getting around that.
‘Most of the surgeons will say it will take at least three months before he is doing some normal running and training.
‘He may defy expectations. If it was me, I would say forget playing before six months, no matter how good you feel.
‘His surgeon may be a bit more relaxed about it and say, “Get to three months and see how he is”.
‘It’s not impossible (he could return sooner), maybe with a repair of the single tear.
‘It is not really a set science. The surgeon will know how strong the repair is.
‘The club’s staff may be pecking away at the surgeon. I have had this with footballers and rugby players, they may say, ‘Look he is fine, why are we holding him back?’.
‘The trainers shorten the recovery, with the intensity of input they may get him back in three or four months, who knows, but personally I would be very surprised.’
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