Antonio Conte has admitted that he was tempted to rest Tottenham Hotspur hitman Harry Kane on Boxing Day.
Tottenham thrashed 10-man Crystal Palace 3-0 in North London.
Kane got the scoring underway on 32 minutes, shortly before Wilfried Zaha picked up a red card for the visitors.
The Italian manager brought the Spurs marksman off shortly after the hour mark.
But Conte has conceded that he would’ve liked to have given the 28-year-old a full rest yesterday, but admitted that he’s just too important.
He told BBC Sport: “I tried to give a rest to Harry and Son, especially Harry because he plays every game but he is such an important player it is difficult to think about keeping him on the bench.”
Not urgent
It’s vitally important to keep Kane fit, even if he hasn’t been firing on all cylinders yet this season.
And remember, picking up an injury at the start of a new year is something that the England international has form for, unfortunately for the Lilywhites.
However, Kane can’t be overly exhausted at the moment.
Tottenham had a coronavirus outbreak at Hotspur Way for the first couple weeks of December and therefore Conte’s outfit didn’t play as regularly as some other Premier League sides.
It’s certainly important to manage Kane’s fitness levels because, as mentioned, he’s massive for Spurs, but he can’t be overly jaded at the moment and neither can any Tottenham player.
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