Defoe injury opens door for Keane
Thursday, 9 September 2010 15:04Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe has been ruled out for six weeks with an ankle injury, which may open the door for Ireland captain Robbie Keane to play more regular football at White Hart lane.
Defoe, who suffered the injury while on international duty with England, could be seen on crutches and wearing a protective boot on his right foot at Spurs' training ground today.
'Even if it's a bad sprain, you're still talking about six weeks or so, because it's a nasty one,' Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said.
Defoe was hurt in England's 3-1 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday, just days after Tottenham team-mate Michael Dawson suffered a knee injury in the England win over Bulgaria that will rule him out for eight weeks.
Keane has been out of favour at Spurs, and spent the second half of last season on loan at Celtic. However, despite widespread speculation surrounding his position, he did not leave the club during the summer transfer window.
He scored for Ireland in their 3-1 over Andorra, notching his 44th goal as Giovanni Trapattoni's men secured their second win in two starts of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
Keane, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavyluchenko will compete for two starting spots in the Spurs' lineup.
