Can Tottenham Hotspur survive without Harry Kane for so long?

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is set to be out of action until at least April after the club have announced he will need surgery on a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring. Kane endured the injury in last week's defeat to Southampton in the Premier League and Spurs fans instantly feared the worst as he gripped his hamstring in the second half.

The Spurs superstar has once again been vitally important this season for the north London side and will no doubt be heavily missed at this crucial time for Jose Mourinho. The club have stated that the surgery is not set to increase the time Kane is out, with the expectation for him to return being around April.

Spurs are still outside of the top four, as they have been for the entire season thus far. Now, as Mourinho brings them just six points off Chelsea in fourth, the former Manchester United boss loses his star man.

Over the past five seasons, top four has gone from a dream to an expectation for the Lilywhites thanks to players like Kane. Now, should they miss out on the Champions League spots, it will be a disaster for a club that just spent £1bn on a new stadium.

The club's loss to Chelsea a few weeks back has proven to be both a sign of the times for Spurs and also a vital three points dropped. It has meant that they continue to trail the Blues, whilst their north London rivals, Arsenal, are breathing down their neck.

No doubt Kane was going to be vital for Mourinho and his need for top four, as once again, he leads the way as the club's top scorer with 17 goals. Now, with 10 league games to be played before April, this could be too much to ask for, even for the great Jose.

Ever since Kane bagged himself 21 goals in the season of 2014/15 at just 22 years old, Spurs have not felt it necessary to sign many other star strikers. However, just as was the case last season, Kane is set to miss a huge chunk of the season, without an elite backup to come in as a replacement.

Down the years, the likes of Roberto Soldado, Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente have all come in as a backup for Spurs' main man, all of which were complete failures. Now, the club's decision to not bring in another striker and let Llorente depart could turn out to be a huge regret.

Of course, Daniel Levy had a new stadium to buy, but, not allowing Mauricio Pochettino to bring in another elite forward was a big mistake. Clubs like Liverpool and Manchester City have backup's like Divock Origi and Gabriel Jesus, respectively, whilst even Manchester United have Mason Greenwood to come in, should all else fail.

Spurs do not have a recognised number nine without Kane, and will most likely push Son Heung-min up top instead.

If there is anyone who can salvage something from this worrying situation, it's Mourinho. The Portuguese's ability to overachieve with Inter Milan, Porto and perhaps even United's 2017/18 squad, have shown that he can bring out the best when his back is up against the wall.

In that 2017/18 season, Mourinho finished second with United and was only beaten by a record-breaking Manchester City squad. That year, the Red Devils earned 81 points, which was two more than Sir Alex Ferguson achieved in the '99 treble-winning season.

Now, Mourinho is going to need to do something similar and overachieve with little budget and players who are perhaps not quite up to his standards.

Spurs' decision to sack Pochettino was more than debatable. However, with Kane out for four months, bringing in the three-time Premier League winner might turn out to be a sensible investment.