Lennon has become a key part of the England squad recently

Tottenham and England winger Aaron Lennon will undergo a knee operation on Saturday that will keep him on the sidelines for up to six weeks.

Spurs coach Martin Jol was optimistic Lennon had recovered sufficiently to play in Thursday's Uefa Cup first-round tie against Slavia Prague.

But he failed a late fitness test and Jol confirmed the player will now undergo surgery to cure the problem.

Lennon will miss England's next two games against Macedonia and Croatia.

"Aaron will have the operation on Saturday," Jol said after the 1-0 victory in Prague.

"He has a minor tear in the cartilage and we had hoped for the best.

"But after training yesterday he said he couldn't do everything he wanted to so we thought it best that he had the operation. He will be out for five or six weeks."