Tottenham Hotspur fear that Jan Vertonghen will not return to first team action until April after the centre-back’s ankle ligament injury was assessed.

Vertonghen is set to be out for at least two months with the injury sustained in the second half of Saturday’s 4-0 defeat of West Bromwich Albion. Two months from tomorrow would take Vertonghen up to the Premier League round of fixtures on 18 March, but that is immediately followed by an international break. Spurs’ next game, away at Burnley, is scheduled for Saturday 1 March.

Mauricio Pochettino admitted immediately after the injury that it “looked very bad” for Vertonghen, who left the pitch in tears after rolling his ankle. Today’s diagnosis of eight to 10 weeks is a serious blow to Tottenham’s season, coming with Spurs on a run of seven consecutive wins in all competitions.

If Vertonghen does not return until 1 April then he will miss eight Premier League games, including crucial away trips to Manchester City this Saturday and to Liverpool, Spurs’ title rivals, on 11 February. He will also miss the fourth round of the FA Cup and, if Spurs progress, the fifth round and quarter-finals. In the Europa League he will miss the last-32 tie against Gent and, if Spurs go through, both legs of the last-16. That could mean missing as many as 15 games in January, February and March.