Tottenham fans are eagerly anticipating the return of talismanic forward Harry Kane from injury.

The England international limped off during the defeat to Manchester United in January with fears he could spend a long time on the sidelines. Scans revealed that Kane had suffered ligament damage which would rule him out until March at the earliest. With few quality options to replace him, Mauricio Pochettino was forced to turn to Fernando Llorente.

Signed in the summer of 2017 from Swansea, the former Athletic Bilbao man had never been given the chance to impress for the Lilywhites – limited to mostly cameos from the substitutes bench thanks to Kane’s goal scoring exploits. The striker was widely linked with an exit from the club in both the summer and January transfer windows but ultimately stayed put. Pochettino’s faith in the forward was rewarded with some excellent performances and crucial goals from the Spaniard.

After scoring a hat-trick in the FA Cup against Tranmere, Llorente netted against Chelsea before scoring and assisting during the 2-1 win against Watford to keep Spurs in the title race. The 34-year-old also picked up assists during the victories over Leicester and Newcastle before scoring off the bench against Borussia Dortmund. With his contract set to expire in the summer, his recent purple patch should convince the Tottenham hierarchy to offer him one more short-term deal.

Indeed, the former Spain international is approaching the end of his career but has proved to be suitable back up should Kane pick up another injury. Finding a forward that will settle for a backup role will prove to be difficult in the transfer window and Llorente has already stated his happiness at the club. Spurs would be better off offering the ex-Juventus man a new deal and using their funds to strengthen other areas of their squad.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?