[kyan]

Tottenham's King out for season

Tottenham captain Ledley King has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

The England centre-back has been given the time to recover from a long-standing knee injury, which has kept him out for most of the campaign.

"My knee is actually feeling good at the moment and there is no inflammation," said the 27-year-old.

"But we have to look at the bigger picture and accept that this is an ideal point in time to recover further and make sure that I come back fitter."

King, who has won 19 England caps, skippered Spurs to Carling Cup glory against Chelsea at Wembley in February, but his fitness was not risked on a regular basis this term and he played in only 10 matches all season.

His influential presence has been badly missed by Spurs, who have struggled defensively throughout the campaign, highlighted by an embarrassing 4-1 home defeat against Newcastle last weekend.

King was certain to have been part of England's World Cup squad in 2006, but missed the competition after breaking a bone in his foot.

As a result of his injury problems, he has played only four matches for his country in the last two years, the most recent being a Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia in June 2007.

Last season, King missed more than half Tottenham's matches because of various injuries and had knee surgery in June 2007.

In the remaining weeks of this season Spurs have little to play for, having already qualified for Europe by virtue of their Carling Cup triumph and being comfortably placed 11th in the Premiership.

The captain added: "They are six games I could well have taken part in, but we all believe this is worth doing for the longer term benefit."

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Tottenham Hotspur | Tottenham's King out for season

I hope he does manage to recover and have a full season next year, as much as I doubt that. On his day he's a top CB, although Spurs can't keep using his absence as a reason for poor defensive displays, better backup or organisation (or a DM who can tackle) are needed.