Dawson accepts comeback defeat and faces months out after surgery
SPURS defender Michael Dawson is facing yet more months on the sidelines after his recovery from an Achilles injury suffered another setback.
The England centre-back underwent an operation on the problematic tendon yesterday after the club’s medical staff accepted defeat in his latest comeback attempt.
Dawson (above) will have to wait until December before doctors update him on how long he is likely to need before he can resume Tottenham’s assault on the top four.
But manager Harry Redknapp warned last month that surgery would be “the last resort” as it would delay the 27-year-old’s return to first-team action. “An operation would be a long job,” he said.
Dawson has not played since the 5-1 home defeat to Premier League leaders Manchester City in August, and it was initially hoped he would return last month. Optimism grew that he would be swiftly reinstated to Redknapp’s side when he started running again in mid-October.
But that activity prompted the pain to return and he was restricted to gym work in the hope of avoiding going under the knife.
Now that he has, Dawson can expect to miss games against Aston Villa, West Brom, PAOK, Bolton and Stoke at the least. Depending on his response to surgery, he could also be a doubt for clashes with Shamrock Rovers, Sunderland and Chelsea.