FIGHTING FIT
Rest has done me world of good, says Kane
HARRY KANE is back to full fitness and feeling refreshed as he targets the top four, the FA Cup and Mo Salah. Kane believes three weeks out with an ankle injury has given his body a much-needed rest as he goes into the final weeks of the campaign and prepares for his first World Cup. He returned as a substitute in Tottenham’s 3-1 win at Chelsea on Sunday.
Kane said: ‘Whenever something bad happens, you have to find the positives. It was a chance to get a couple of weeks’ break, refresh the other muscles, and get ready for the business end of the season.
‘I didn’t know how quickly I would be back, but I went away with one of the physios, did some rehab, and I knew last week it was looking good and I would be able to step it up. Thankfully I was ready for the Chelsea game.
‘The swelling went down quickly and I do the right things off the pitch.That’s a big help.’
Kane suffered a similar injury at the same time last season and felt the benefit as he returned in a blaze of goals.
‘I was feeling strong last year and that’s what I’ll try to do this year,’ he said. ‘We’ve got big games coming up, so we’ve got to look forward to that. Champions League football is a must and we’re in a great position. I think we’ve got to try to win the FA Cup. If we do that, we can say it’s been a very good season. ‘Obviously City have run away with the League this year and fair play to them. But for us, it’s about maintaining the Champions League every year. ‘We deserve to be there. We showed this year in the Champions League that we can compete with the best. We had some great results.’ The win at Chelsea was Tottenham’s first at Stamford Bridge since 1990. ‘Massive win,’ said Kane. ‘Everyone knows we hadn’t won there in a long, long time and we deserved it. It’s an amazing feeling. It’s great for the fans to come away with a win, and it was great to be back out there.’ Salah’s form at Liverpool has left Kane trailing in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot. Last season’s top-scorer is five goals behind on 24 with seven games remaining. ‘Salah’s done fantastic,’ said Kane. ‘He’s a great, great player. He’s got a bit of a head start now. I’ve got to focus on my own game and we’ll see what happens come the end of the season. Hopefully I can have a strong finish.’
The worry for Tottenham is that this side may begin to be picked apart if they do not win major trophies soon. Centre back Toby Alderweireld is set to leave Tottenham this summer after talks over a new contract collapsed.
Paris Saint-Germain are willing to match the Belgium international’s £10million-a-season wage demands to lure him to France.
Alderweireld wants a deal close to £200,000 a week — nearly double the club’s wage ceiling. He also wants a five-year deal, something Tottenham are unwilling to offer because the defender is 29.
Meanwhile, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has praised Dele Alli for bouncing back from one of the toughest weeks of his short career.
Alli, 21, didn’t start either of England’s recent friendlies but he returned to club action and scored twice in the win at Stamford Bridge.
‘He is still young but has a big personality and he showed it. To react in that way is fantastic for him,’ said Lloris.
‘It’s not easy because you need to give time to young players to get to the right age, to be mature.
‘I don’t know what happened in the national team but obviously he didn’t play and I think he came back to training with a big willingness to show his quality.
‘He is ready to finish this season strongly.’