Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho says star striker Harry Kane 'optimistic' he will return in two weeks

England captain missed defeat against Brighton but is upbeat about recovery timescale

Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane reacts after sustaining an injury during the match against Liverpool. Reuters

Harry Kane hurt both his ankles against Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Getty

Tottenham Hotspur's striker Harry Kane is likely to be out for a few weeks. AFP

Liverpool's Sadio Mane celebrates scoring their third goal against Tottenham. Reuters

Liverpool's Sadio Mane scores their third goal. Reuters

Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool celebrates scoring his sides second goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Getty

Liverpool's defender Trent Alexander-Arnold scores their second goal. AFP

Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp talks to Roberto Firmino. EPA

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho revealed that star striker Harry Kane is "optimistic" he can return from his latest injury setback in two weeks.

Kane was missed during Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Brighton after damaging both ankles in last week's 3-1 loss to champions Liverpool.

The England captain has undergone scans and, according to his manager, is upbeat about a swift recovery.

He will almost certainly miss successive home games against Chelsea and West Brom, as well as the FA Cup fifth-round trip to Everton, but could be back to face Premier League leaders Manchester City on February 13.

"The news is pretty good news," said Mourinho in a video posted on Spurs' Twitter account. "On the day of the Liverpool game, [we had] no idea. Then, the next day, we were thinking about three weeks, something like that.

"I do not want to be super optimistic but Harry is optimistic. He has the experience of some injuries in ankles and in Harry's mind it is a couple of weeks, so let's see if he is right."

Kane has scored or assisted 23 of Tottenham's 34 Premier League goals this season.

Real Madrid loan player Gareth Bale was given a rare opportunity to impress in his absence against Albion but was largely ineffectual, while Brazilian forward Carlos Vinicius went closest to an equaliser after coming off the bench.

"We lost a match, and when we lose a match, we lose a match, we lose all together. We don't lose because of one player, or one bad performance. We lose together," said Mourinho, who is not anticipating any transfer dealings on deadline day.

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Brighton 1 Spurs 0; player ratings

BRIGHTON RATINGS: Robert Sanchez 7 – Sanchez was sparked into action after the break and saved well twice from Vinicius. The Spaniard probably expected a busier evening. AFP

Ben White 8 –Another accomplished performance. Kept Son, Bale and Bergwijn quiet for much of the game and restricted the Tottenham attack to long-range efforts. Saw an effort saved by Lloris at the other end. AFP

Adam Webster 7 – Had a great tussle with Gareth Bale. Beat the Welshman for pace on more than one occasion and was rarely troubled. Blocked a shot from Son with his chest, though Spurs argued the case for a penalty. Reuters

Lewis Dunk 7 – Solid at the back, he came close to scoring but had to watch Bale clear his header off the line. Unbeatable in the air. AFP

Joel Veltman 7 – Very solid on the right-hand side and looked to get forward on the overlap. AFP

Pascal Gross 8 – Had the first chance of the game but saw his effort hit the post as he seized on some statuesque defending from the visitors. Ten minutes later, he pulled the ball back for Trossard to open the scoring. Classy performance in the middle. Reuters

Yves Bissouma 8 – The defensive midfielder made more interceptions than any other player and his passing was on point too. A superb performance. AFP

Alexis Mac Allister 8 – Was central to Brighton’s attacking powers and after coming close with a long-range effort, he supplied a defence-splitting pass to release Gross, who crossed for the opening goal. He came close to scoring several times. A danger all game. Reuters

Solly March 7 – Looked very comfortable in the left-wing back position. He kept Sissoko quiet and also managed to cause a bit of havoc in the Spurs defence when he got forward. AFP

Neal Maupay 7 – Brighton’s attacking midfielders had a field day and linked well, but their decision making in the final third could have cost them. Reuters

Leandro Trossard 7 – Scored his second goal of the season, his first since the opening day, when he drilled home following a neat team move. EPA

SUB: Dan Burn (Veltman, 72) N/A – Solid performance when he came on, clearing his lines well and formidable in the air. Reuters

SUB: Aaron Connolly (Trossard,79) N/A – Had a great chance to make sure of the three points when he had the goal at his mercy, but his effort was blocked by Alderweireld. A dink over the Belgian defender would no doubt have doubled Brighton’s score. Reuters

SUB: Adam Lallana (Maupay, 79) N/A – A welcome cameo to get some minutes under his belt after missing out in the Fulham game. AFP

TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris 6 – Had very little chance of stopping Brighton’s opening goal but kept Spurs in the game when he stopped Ben White doubling the advantage after the break. Reuters

Joe Rodon 5 – Was found ball watching for Brighton’s goal but didn’t do a lot wrong after that. AFP

Toby Alderweireld 6 –Made a goal-saving block in the last 10 minutes to deny Connolly. As the most experienced of Tottenham’s three centre-backs, he struggled to keep Rodon and Sanchez in check, but he looked far more comfortable in the second half when Spurs went to four at the back. Made another great block to deny Mac Allister. Reuters

Davinson Sanchez 5 – Had a poor first half and couldn’t deal with Brighton’s attacking movement. Was substituted at half time. Reuters

Moussa Sissoko 5 – With Serge Aurier dropped and Matt Doherty on the bench, Sissoko filled the right wing-back position. It didn’t work, though he looked more comfortable as a right-back. Reuters

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 6 – Was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge early on but was arguably Tottenham’s brightest spark. Battled well and tried to keep the ball moving. AFP

Tanguy Ndombele 6 – Like Hojbjerg, he battled hard in the middle and was caught a few times by wayward Brighton challenges, but he was bypassed by his teammates too many times. He saw more of the ball in the second half but turned over possession too frequently. Reuters

Ben Davies 4 – Started the game as a wing-back and lost Gross in the build-up to the opening goal. Looked more solid as a left-back when Spurs reverted to four at the back in the second half. Reuters

Gareth Bale 4 – Offered very little going forward but he tracked back on occasion and was in the right place at the right time on the line to clear Lewis Dunk’s goal-bound header. Was substituted after the break. Poor. AFP

Steven Bergwijn 5 – The liveliest of Tottenham’s attacking trident, he at least had an effort on goal, although it finished wide of the post. He then set up Vinicius for a shot in the second half. EPA

Son Heung-Min 5 - Had a very quiet night. Was restricted to a couple of long-range efforts that didn’t trouble Sanchez in the Brighton goal. AFP

SUB: Carlos Vinicius (Sanchez, 45) 6 – Tested Sanchez twice; once with a header and then a turn and shot. Looked the most likely to score for the visitors. Reuters

SUB: Lucas Moura (Bale, 61) 4 – Added some pace to the Spurs attack and his dribbling caused Brighton to drop deep, but overall he was ineffectual. Reuters

SUB: Erik Lamela (Ndombele, 74) N/A – Was brought on to make things happen but couldn’t influence the game. Reuters

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"So I don't think it's fair, especially for myself, in representation of my team, I don't think it's fair to answer to you to that question, especially now.

"If that question comes in a great moment for the team, and after a victory, and when Gareth like the team plays a good game, it's easier for me to answer to you. I don't want to do that. We lost, and we all lost."

Uncertainty lingers, though, over the future of midfielder Dele Alli, who has been linked with a loan to Paris Saint-Germain, managed by former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

The England midfielder has been out of favour under Mourinho, rarely featuring in the Premier League this season.

The Portuguese said last week he was not expecting Alli to leave but admitted "sometimes unexpected things can happen".