England Releases Harry Kane to Rejoin Tottenham
Tottenham gets Harry Kane back earlier than expected as England’s interim boss, Gareth Southgate, allowed the striker to continue his rehabilitation with Spurs.
With the recent doom and gloom surrounding Tottenham on the injury front, there is some good news. And that is, Harry Kane returning to Spurs early to prepare for Saturday’s London derby at White Hart Lane against West Ham United.
England caretaker manager Gareth Southgate didn’t start Kane against Scotland in a World Cup qualifier, nor did he give him any minutes as goals from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill were more than enough for a comfortable 3-0 win at Wembley stadium.
After returning to action last Sunday in the north London derby and playing 73 minutes following a seven-week spell on the sidelines recovering from ankle ligament damage, it’s a good gesture on Southgate’s part to allow the 23-year-old to continue his fitness tests with Spurs.
“Harry reported for us last week having not played a full game for some seven weeks but Tottenham were more than happy for him to come with us,” Southgate said (via The Guardian).
“It was never really my intention to start him in a game and I think it’s important that he gets a different training programme to what we’re going to follow over the next couple of days.”
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“I’m really grateful to Tottenham for letting us have him for the qualifier. Once we’d assessed our injury status and the fact we were fine and covered for what we’d do for this game, the sessions that we’re going to do aren’t what Harry needs at this time, having had such a long layoff.”
Getting Harry Kane back is a huge boost for Mauricio Pochettino as he gets a healthy player returning to the squad after three other Spurs players suffered various knocks during the international break: Mousa Dembélé, Vincent Janssen and Christian Eriksen.
With 73 minutes played against Arsenal last week and looking tired during the second half, it’s entirely possible that Kane won’t play a 90 minute match for another game or two.
Pochettino would be wise to prevent Harry Kane from doing so when he’s still recovering and isn’t 100 percent fit yet. Plus, when you add in Janssen’s concussion against Belgium, this complicates matters as the Dutchman is a like-for-like backup behind Kane.
One option is to play Son Heung-Min up top when Kane is subbed out late in matches. And although the South Korean international is better served playing out wide, Mauricio Pochettino has a delicate situation on his hands as he can’t afford to risk either both of his strikers against West Ham.
These questions must be considered for this Saturday and in the Champions League on November 22nd. Should Pochettino start Harry Kane in another London derby? If Kane does start, how long will he play?
Next, who becomes the backup striker with Janssen currently injured? If Vincent Janssen is fit in time, is it wise to risk him against West Ham with AS Monaco coming up three days later?
Next: Christian Eriksen is the Latest Tottenham Player to be Injured
The injury bug has certainly bit Tottenham hard this season and even though some players are returning soon, someone else happens to replace them on the sidelines.
With the amount of knocks the team is suffering from, one final qustion should be asked. Would it be wise to rest players until they’re 100 percent healthy or play them immediately when they’re fit enough despite the possible risks to get re-injured to reclaim the lost points from all of the draws Spurs picked up?
The answer could vary from person to person, though if any other key player is lost for a x amount of time, Spurs’ season will be in jeopardy until January. Assuming they sign someone which hasn’t happened since last winter.