Ledley King has suffered a metatarsal injury and will miss the Carling Cup tie with Arsenal.
The Tottenham skipper went for a scan on Monday and is expected to undergo further tests to determine the extent of the injury.
Boss Martin Jol admitted he feared King had broken a bone in his foot after he failed to recover from what the club medics thought was just bruising.
"The latest news is that Ledley has got a metatarsal injury. We are hoping he will be back in action very soon," Jol told the Daily Star.
The England international has not played since Boxing Day and was hoping to make his return in the Carling Cup semi-final, second leg against Arsenal.
Spurs do welcome back Jermaine Jenas for the tie at Emirates Stadium after the midfielder recovered from an ankle injury.
if the spurs medical team took so long to find out it was a metatarsal injury...
then the spurs medical team simply suck.