Antonio Conte told his post-match press conference after defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup that Tottenham and England star Harry Kane “stopped” in training on Tuesday – but still played an hour on Wednesday.
Kane, 29, will lead England into the 2022 Qatar World Cup – that of course, if he remains injury free. He has been excellent during the first part of the season, scoring 12 goals in 21 games. 11 of those goals have come in the League.
The striker has started all 21 of Tottenham’s matches in all competitions this season, and has only been substituted on a few occasions. One of those was Wednesday night, being withdrawn after an hour. A pre-planned substitution.
Indeed, Conte spoke after the match and like Sunday after the loss to Liverpool, was surprisingly upbeat. He spoke of the tiredness of his players – and also says that Kane actually stopped in training on Tuesday to recover energy.
“It was tiredness. Really, really tired. Yesterday we had a soft training session. At one point he stopped himself to recover energy. It’s normal, Harry has played every game. It’s difficult to decide you don’t play with him,” Conte said.
Conte: Kane stopped in Tottenham training on Tuesday
It begs the question, why on earth would Tottenham, Conte and Kane himself run the risk of worsening any fatigue and turning tiredness into an injury – in a third-round Carabao Cup match? Perhaps, it shows excellent attitude and fight.
But it might also be silly. Had Kane picked up an injury that ruled him out of the World Cup, it would have seriously dented England’s chances. Kane is a top, top player and he will want momentum – but he should have been rested.
Of course, he will start on Saturday afternoon when Spurs play host to Leeds. But really, the England skipper needs to be wrapped in cotton wool in order to keep him fit and fresh. England take on Iran on November 21.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
