Danny Murphy has advice for Tottenham boss on Harry Kane

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Reports suggest Kane could return for Tottenham as early as next week.

Danny Murphy has told TalkSPORT that Mauricio Pochettino has to avoid rushing Harry Kane back into the Tottenham Hotspur side after reports suggested he could overcome his ankle injury by next week.

TalkSPORT claimed in the report that the 25-year-old striker is aiming to be fit for Tottenham’s last 16 Champions League tie against German outfit Borussia Dortmund – with the first leg at Wembley on February 13.

Previous reports suggested that the England captain would be sidelined until at least the middle of March, after suffering an ankle injury during the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United earlier this year.

Former Spurs midfielder Murphy has urged Pochettino not to rush the goal machine back into action, despite the temptation to play the striker – who has scored 20 goals in 31 games this season.

“The observation I’ve always made with Harry when he comes back from injuries is it takes him a white to get his rhythm back,” Murphy said. “The big shame for him and Spurs was just before he got injured he looked super sharp.

“He looked really fit and strong and hungry – the best I’d see him in a while. There are all sorts of formulas they use to tell you how long you should be back in training, and back in competitive games. I’m not sure you can put numbers on that, I think it’s down to the individual.

“But the last thing they want to do is put him at any risk.”

Kane has been replaced by Fernando Llorente of late, who has come in for plenty of criticism. He did, though, score a late winner against Watford in a 2-1 win before laying on the assist for Son Heung-min’s winner against Newcastle United.

Tottenam are next in action against Leicester City on Sunday afternoon before preparing to face Dortmund, where they will come up against the likes of Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus and Axel Witsel.

With the north Londoners being knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup last month, the club will be desperate to impress in the Champions League as they remain in just two competitions. It could mean risking Kane, who earns £200,000 a week at Spurs (Spotrac).