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Ornstein: Harry Kane to have scan on ankle injured in England’s World Cup win over Iran

Oh noooooooooooo

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England v IR Iran: Group B - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images

If you were a little worried about Harry Kane after England’s 6-2 win over Iran in both teams’ first match of the World Cup, well you were right to be. Kane rolled his ankle after a challenge by Iranian defender Morteza Pouraliganji early in the second half and got up limping, though he eventually carried on. Kane was substituted in the 75th minute with England well ahead and was seen with his ankle taped, limping slightly heading towards the team bus.

Now, David Ornstein says that Kane’s injury might be more severe than initially thought. Writing in The Athletic, Ornstein says Kane is set to have a scan on his ankle, but as of now there are no indications that he might miss any time in England’s upcoming matches.

Immediately after the match, England manager Gareth Southgate dismissed concerns that his national team captain might be injured.

“I think Harry’s fine. It looked like a bad tackle but he carried on in the game. We took him off because we felt it was a moment in the game we could do that.”

A scan could be significant, or it could be simply precautionary, we don’t know. Nevertheless, this is potentially scary. Harry has a LONG history of ankle injuries that date back several years. While he’s mostly avoided injury over the past couple of seasons, Spurs fans frequently discuss in whispered terms their worries over the state of Kane’s ankles and his past propensity towards ligament damage. An injury to Kane’s ankle would bad news for England, but depending on the severity might not be as bad for Tottenham, especially if it means that he’s forced into actually taking a rest instead of playing every single match from now until May.

Kane didn’t score in the big win over Iran, but had two assists and was an integral part of England’s attack. The Three Lions next face USA in Group B this coming Friday.