Carrick, who has four England caps, fell awkwardly during Spurs' 1-0 Carling Cup defeat on Tuesday.

It's a huge blow for Carrick, who earned a recall to the England squad for their summer tour of America.

Tottenham manager Martin Jol said: "Michael Carrick twisted his ankle in a bad way. I've seen it on video again.

"He's recovering quickly but I think it will take a couple of weeks. So we'll have to play with a new midfield again against Fulham."

England face Austria and Poland in their final two Group Six qualifiers with coach Sven-Goran Eriksson set to name his squad on 3 October. 

Carrick, 24, has earned great reviews for Spurs this season and he recently underlined his determination to make a place in the England squad his own.

"I want to improve as much as I can this season and get into the World Cup squad," said Carrick.

"I feel I’m a better player now and, hopefully, I have got a better chance. Without a doubt, the best is still to come from me. I am still only 24 and people say you don’t reach your peak until you are 28 or 29.

"I got injured before the last World Cup and that is just one of those things that happen in football. But I feel I’ve got a much stronger case than I had at that stage.

"It is in the forefront of my mind again and I would love the chance to play at the World Cup. It is one of the reasons why this is such a big season for me.

"This is the most exciting season of my career and the biggest in terms of what I have got to play for."