LONDON – Harry Kane’s absence will inevitably affect Tottenham’s performances in the coming weeks, manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted on Friday, but the Argentine is positive they can cope without the England captain.
Kane is not scheduled to return to training until early March after suffering ankle ligament damage towards the end of a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United last weekend.
However, the World Cup Golden Boot winner has a track record of returning ahead of schedule from injuries, and Pochettino hinted that could be the case once more.
Spurs face huge games against Chelsea on February 27 and Arsenal on March 2 in the Premier League, and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on March 5.
“Harry is a very positive person, the moment he got injured, he started thinking about recovering as soon as possible,” said Pochettino on Friday.
“When he is one of the best strikers in Europe, it is going to affect performances.
“We are positive, we can cope and we have players who can cover his position. It won’t affect our approach to the games.”
Kane’s injury is compounded by the absence of Son Heung-min, representing South Korea at the Asian Cup potentially for the rest of the month.
Yet Pochettino reiterated that the club are unlikely to dip into the transfer market for a short-term fix upfront.
“It is not going to change our mind. We are open to adding to our squad, but that is not going to put pressure on us to sign,” he added.
“The market is very difficult. If we find the player that is going to help us and add quality, we are more than open to make that happen. At the minute, there is no player.”
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Fernando Llorente looks set to start for the first time in the Premier League this season at Fulham on Sunday, with Lucas Moura still out with a knee problem.
Midfielder Moussa Sissoko will be also be out for another two weeks after picking up a groin strain against United.