Juergen Klinsmann has been told by a specialist that he could be back in the Tottenham team in just three weeks despite breaking his jaw in the FA Cup defeat at Barnsley on wednesday night. The 33-year-old German international, carried off 12 minutes from the end at Oakwell after a collision with Barnsley's Dutch defender Arjan de Zeeuw, travelled to London yesterday after being kept in hospital overnight.

The injured striker was sent for an immediate consultation with a Maxillo-facial surgeon whose verdict has at least softened the latest blow to the ailing North London club.

There is no plan for him to have an operation and Tottenham's assistant-manager Chris Hughton said: "Jurgen was able to talk to us all right and the injury is not as bad as we thought."