Tottenham midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart looks set to miss out on the season opener against Everton next weekend.

The Dutchman picked up an ankle injury in the 3-2 win over Brighton last weekend and sat out the 2-1 win over Atletic Bilbao today.

However, the 28-year-old should have recovered in time for the first-leg Europa League play-off fixture over Hearts a week on Thursday.

“We’ll keep our fingers crossed for next week,” Kevin Bond,Tottenham’s assistant manager, told the Daily Telegraph.