King injury setback a blow for Spurs

Ledley King, the Tottenham Hotspur captain, has been ruled out for up to two months following a setback in his return from a bruised left foot.

King, 26, has suffered a stress injury to the same foot which kept him out of the World Cup and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks. Spurs have been without him for a month - and have not won in the Premiership since his last game, the win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

"Ledley first bruised the bone in his foot four weeks ago," a statement from Spurs read. "He progressed quickly with his rehabilitation. However, he recently suffered a setback when the injury recurred to the extent that the club medical staff are having to treat the injury like a stress fracture, even though he has not broken his metatarsal.

"The medical staff are fully confident that, given the new timeframe, Ledley will make a complete recovery and will be back to play an important part in our season."