Kanoute out for two weeks

Freddie Kanoute appeared to contradict Tottenham's official verdict on his injury today when he said he will miss the start of the season.

Standard Sport exclusively revealed yesterday that their new £4million striker had broken down only an hour into his first training session.

But Spurs manager Glenn Hoddle said: "Freddie has suffered a slight tweak to his abductor muscle which will hold him back three to four days."

Kanoute, however, said today on his icons website: "The doctor I consulted said it would be two weeks before I am fully fit and I'm happy because that is not too long.

"It means I will probably miss out the first game of the season at Birmingham but I'm confident I'll be ready in time for the Leeds game the following weekend.

"I cannot quite believe that I picked up an injury in my first training session with Tottenham. The injury is to my groin but it is only a minor strain and not a repeat of the problem that kept me out of action for much of last year.

"I've no idea why I should have picked up this little injury. We were playing a practice match and I sprinted for the ball before shootingand I could feel the muscle tighten. But it was not a dramatic snap and I'm sure I'll heal quickly.

"It's disappointing to start my new career in this way but it's only a temporary setback."

Kanoute played just 12 matches for West Ham last season because of a long-term groin problem.

Meanwhile, FIFA have been called in to settle a cash wrangle between Sunderland and Celtic over midfielder Colin Healy.