LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho's worst fears were realised when the club confirmed on Friday that striker Harry Kane suffered a torn hamstring during the defeat at Southampton.
Kane, who has netted 27 goals for Spurs and England this season, was forced off late in the 1-0 loss on Wednesday after injuring his left hamstring scoring a disallowed goal.
Mourinho said he believed the news would be bad when he addressed media ahead of Tottenham's FA Cup third-round clash at Middlesbrough on Sunday.
The club later said Kane had indeed torn a hamstring – an injury that usually means around one month on the sidelines.
"If you ask me just my feeling – good news or bad news – I am more on bad news than good news, that's my feeling," Mourinho said earlier when asked about Kane.
"What the player felt, Harry Kane leaving a match, the way he did it, he didn't think twice, it didn't take him two seconds to realise the severity of the situation.
"I think we're going to lose him for some period. Every minute of every game he doesn't play we miss him but I don't want to be crying all the time."
Kane has been injury-free this season but had two lengthy lay-offs last season with ankle ligament injuries.
Another spell without Kane will be a major blow to Tottenham who are struggling to stay in the hunt for the top four having fallen six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
"Everybody knows the importance of Harry in the squad. I think irreplaceable," Mourinho said.
The good news for Mourinho is that forward Son Heung-min will be back from suspension for the trip to Middlesbrough after missing three games following a red card against Chelsea.
Tottenham are also without Danny Rose (calf), Ben Davies (ankle) and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (elbow) while midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, who limped off against Southampton, is being assessed for a hip injury.