Harry Kane could be out for months as he recovers from a hamstring tear he sustained in Tottenham Hotspur's loss to Southampton on January 1.
The injury was the worst possible start to the new year for Jose Mourinho's side who still need to win back a place in the top four of the Premier League this season while chasing silverware in the FA Cup and Champions League.
In his previous five seasons, the England striker has never failed to score more than 20 goals in a season across all competition.
Knee problems blunted his effectiveness in the 2018/19 campaign, at least according to the standards he had set for himself previously, but he remained the most dangerous player in Tottenham's squad.
Unfortunately for Spurs, the early signs have not been positive with regards to the severity of the hamstring tear.
There are three grades of hamstring injury. Grade one is a hamstring pull or strain. Grade two is a partial tearing of the hamstring. Grade three is a complete muscle tear.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, Mourinho was unable to say what grade of injury Kane had suffered but the club later confirmed it was a tear.
Tottenham did not, however, include details over whether it was a grade two or a grade three tear.
Even a grade two hamstring injury can lead to a footballer being out of action for months, not just weeks.
According to Sports Medicine Australia , a grade two tear can take between four to eight weeks to heal, while a grade three tear can require surgery and three months of rehabilitation.
That is how long West Ham forward Michail Antonio was forced to sit out and recover after suffering a grade three hamstring tear earlier this year.
Kane has suffered other injury problems of late, especially with his ankle injuries - fitness issues that have been blamed on a relative decline in performance compared to his previous output as one of the most prolific forwards in Europe.
It remains to be seen whether he has suffered a grade two or grade three tear and what effect his latest setback could have on his game.
