Kane will be fit for Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to Arsenal next weekend, according to Mauricio Pochettino.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has defended the withdrawal of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane from England’s latest squad.
Kane is one of several Three Lions players to pull out of this month’s friendlies against Germany and Brazil, but has received by far the most critics.
The complaints follow Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino’s admission that Kane will be fit for his side’s next fixture, a north London derby against Arsenal.
England manager Gareth Southgate has supported the decision, and writing in his weekly column for the Daily Mail, Keown said: “When I played, I had lots of targets throughout the season such as winning the Premier League and qualifying for the World Cup or Euros.
“You have to manage your energy levels and October and November are months when players tend to get injured more often.
“I have no problem with Harry Kane wanting to rest up – as long as it means he is in scintillating form when it matters at the World Cup next summer.
“It also gives a chance for other players to prove themselves to Gareth Southgate ahead of the finals in Russia.”
Despite playing 77 minutes of Tottenham’s 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Kane had been suffering from fitness problems in previous weeks.
Indeed, the 24-year-old missed Spurs’ two previous fixtures against Manchester United and West Ham United with a hamstring injury, both of which ended in defeat.
Had it been Tottenham with two friendly matches coming up, it is extremely unlikely that Kane would have featured in those either.
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