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| England captain and Tottenham star Harry Kane |
England captain Harry Kane is unlikely to be fit for Euro 2020, a leading orthopaedic surgeon has said.
Kane went under the knife on Saturday to repair a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring and the club have said they expect him to resume training in April.
However, his participation at this summerโs tournament was plunged into doubt earlier this week when Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho raised the possibility of Kane not being fit until next season.
And although Chris Wilson, one of the countryโs prominent doctors in the procedure, has no specific knowledge of Kaneโs case, he says patients generally require six months recovery before they are back playing.
โI would expect it to be six months before he could return to action,โ Dr Wilson, who has performed the same operation 75 times, told the PA news agency.
โThere is a big range of opinion because it is such an uncommon procedure and some surgeons may say quicker.
โIf the repair was good and sound, the first six weeks he will be nursing the repair and doing very little.
โSix to 12 weeks, providing everything was OK, he will be doing basic strengthening exercises.
โAt three months you would start a normal hamstring rehabilitation that you would do if you got a tear in the middle of the muscle.
โIf I was talking to a top-level footballer I would want to manage their expectations and say I wouldnโt anticipate them being fit and playing normally in a game for six months following the surgery.
โIf it was me I would say aim for getting fit for pre-season training. I am aware in Harry Kaneโs case they have been saying April or May โ I have to say I would be very surprised.โ
Kane has a history of defying medical opinion to return quickly from a string of ankle ligament injuries.
Dr Wilson, who is the surgeon for Championship sides Cardiff and Swansea and has operated on Olympic athletes, has urged caution with Kaneโs recovery, even if he is feeling good.
โThere is a risk of recurrence,โ he said. โWhen you do a hamstring repair, youโll tell the athlete there is a risk of re-rupture.
โComing back too early increases the risk of re-rupture. There is no getting around that.
โMost of the surgeons will say it will take at least three months before he is doing some normal running and training.
โHe may defy expectations. If it was me, I would say forget playing before six months, no matter how good you feel.
โHis surgeon may be a bit more relaxed about it and say, โGet to three months and see how he isโ.โ
With a summer tournament just five months away, where England play their three group games on home soil, Dr Wilson says Kaneโs surgeon could come under pressure to give him the green light to recover.
โItโs not impossible (he could return sooner), maybe with a repair of the single tear,โ he said.
โIt is not really a set science. The surgeon will know how strong the repair is.
โThe clubโs staff may be pecking away at the surgeon. I have had this with footballers and rugby players, they may say, โLook he is fine, why are we holding him back?โ.
โThe 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.โ
Press Association
