Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris is set to miss six to eight weeks with a knee injury, the PA news agency understands.
The French goalkeeper suffered the problem in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Manchester City and will spend a sustained period on the sidelines.
Scans showed he sustained ligament damage following a challenge late in the game, though Lloris is not expected to need surgery.
Fraser Forster will now step up to the number one position as Spurs enter a pivotal part of their season over the next few weeks.
Forster, who signed from Southampton on a free transfer last summer, has played just four times so far and made only one Premier League appearance – in the Boxing Day 2-2 draw with Brentford.
Lloris’ absence will be a blow, even though he has been culpable for a number of mistakes this season.
He has made four errors that have led directly to goals – the most in the Premier League – and will be disappointed with a number of other saves he failed to make in recent games.
The 36-year-old, who has recently retired from international football with France following the World Cup, has been a mainstay of the Spurs side since last suffering a bad injury in October 2019.
