Jermain Defoe fears ankle injury could rule him out for two months

Harry Redknapp has been left to count the cost of England duty to his Tottenham Hotspur squad, as Jermain Defoe joined Michael Dawson as a long-term injury absentee. Defoe hurt his ankle in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Switzerland and he cut a dejected figure at the club's training ground today as he moved about slowly on crutches and with his foot in a protective boot. "I'm not doing well at all," the striker said. "It looks like it could be six to eight weeks." Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, said Defoe would see a specialist to ascertain the full extent of the damage, with the worst case scenario being that ligaments had been ruptured. "But even if it's a bad sprain," Redknapp said, "we're still talking about six weeks or so because it's a nasty one." Dawson was injured in last Friday's victory over Bulgaria in the Euro 2012 qualifier and Redknapp said that he had ankle and knee damage and "so again, it's a case of it being at least a couple of months." The Football Association has an insurance scheme that covers England players in the event of injury and Tottenham have made a claim on behalf of Defoe and Dawson. Redknapp did report that Peter Crouch was fit, after he was forced off during the home defeat against Wigan Athletic with a rib injury. Crouch had to withdraw from the England squad but he has trained fully at Spurs Lodge this week.