No Bale this season

Gareth Bale will not play any more football for Tottenham this season. The foot injury he suffered against Birmingham City in December was worse than expected and the Premier League strugglers will have to do without one of their young stars.

The diagnosis was sprained ligaments in his foot, after having a cast removed today, the surgeon in charge has pushed the return date back. It’s a setback for Spurs as the squad has reached some good form recently, especially defensively. Getting Bale back would have bolstered this rise, but the form was achieved without him, so it will have to continue that way.

Bale, 18, joined Tottenham in the summer from Southampton and has only played 12 matches for the club. Juande Ramos used right back Pascal Chimbonda on the left in Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Saturday.