Dele Alli likely has broken hand, but could play vs. City next week

Everyone has been discussing what appears to be a season-ending ankle injury to Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane in the second half of Spurs’ 1-0 Champions League win over Manchester City on Tuesday. But there was another injury to a different player that could also have a significant impact on Tottenham’s end of season run-in.

Dele Alli was subbed off in the second half of the City match holding his hand, which he appeared to injure after falling to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium pitch. Not much was made of Dele’s hand in the wake of Kane’s ankle, but according to Dan Kilpatrick at the Evening Standard, it looks increasingly likely that Dele broke it, and could miss at minimum the match against Huddersfield.

Kilpatrick writes that Spurs are waiting on a scan of Dele’s arm to see the extent of the damage, but are hopeful that he could return in time to feature against City next week at the Etihad in the Champions League second leg.

As far as injuries go, breaking your hand is probably one of the better one you can have as a professional footballer. Depending on the severity, it is quite possible to still play matches while playing in a soft cast by keeping the injury immobilized. In fact, the Standard notes that Palace midfielder (and former Spurs player) Andros Townsend is currently playing with just such a cast on his arm after a similar injury. I would imagine that it might reduce your mobility slightly, or at least throw off your balance a bit.

Spurs’ next match are home to already-relegated Huddersfield, so while going into that game without Kane and Dele is far from ideal, Huddersfield are pretty bad and have nothing to play for so there should be enough in the tank to see them off. Going up against City at the Etihad with a narrow lead in the Champions League second leg without two of your very best players is a lot scarier of a proposition.