Spurs midfielder faces six-week lay-off

Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has been ruled out for six weeks after suffering a hamstring tear, his club have said.

The Holland international suffered the injury in his left leg in last weekend’s 5-1 home defeat by Manchester City.

He has since been diagnosed with a hamstring tear after an MRI scan and is not expected to return until the middle of October.

That means Van der Vaart will at least be unavailable for Premier League games against Wolves, Liverpool, Wigan and the north London derby against Arsenal at White Hart Lane.

He will also miss the start of Spurs’ Europa League campaign, including meetings with PAOK Salonika and Shamrock Rovers.