Pochettino cagey over Kane injury as
TOBY ALDERWEIRELD insists Tottenham have the strength to handle Manchester United despite the lack of recovery time before they visit Old Trafford.
Spurs have a gap of a little more than 60 hours between the end of last night’s Carabao Cup defeat by West Ham at Wembley and Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off against United, who have had an extra 24 hours’ rest after beating Swansea on Tuesday.
Tottenham will assess Harry Kane today and tomorrow after the England forward left the field clutching his hamstring towards the end of last Sunday’s 4-1 win over Liverpool. Both Mauricio Pochettino and Kane played down the problem initially but the Tottenham manager would only say “we’ll see” when asked about Kane by television channel beIN Sports last night.
Tottenham have tried to play down the post-match interview but Standard Sport understands there are some doubts about whether Kane will be ready to face Jose Mourinho.
Losing Kane, who has scored 15 times in as many matches for club and country this season, would be a huge blow for Tottenham, especially as Fernando Llorente struggled to make an impact in front of goal against West Ham.
Llorente was taken off soon after West Ham’s third goal, leaving Spurs without an orthodox centre-forward on the pitch when they needed to chase the game.
Tottenham face Real Madrid in the Champions League next Wednesday before facing Crystal Palace in the Premier League four days later, prior to the international break.
When Spurs have finished against Palace, they will have played seven games in 22 days and Alderweireld admitted they have had little time for training and preparation in this period.
The Belgium defender said: “It’s all about recovery and being ready for the games. They’re