Mauricio Pochettino has warned off any suitors for Harry Kane, insisting the striker will be at Tottenham “for a long time”.
The England Under-21 international is the club’s top scorer this season, netting six times, but has yet to start a game in the Barclays Premier League.
So far he has excelled when given the chance in the Europa League, with last week’s hat-trick against Asteras Tripolis taking his tally to five, while he also scored in the Capital One Cup victory over Nottingham Forest.
Wednesday’s fourth-round match against Brighton will provide another opportunity for Kane to prove his worth to Pochettino – who prefers Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado in the league.
And the former Southampton boss was forced to refute suggestions that Kane might be on the way out of White Hart Lane in January, with the Saints and Swansea both reportedly circling.
“This is not the moment to talk about what may happen in January because that is two months ahead and we need to focus on improving different areas of the team,” said Pochettino.
“Harry will be at Tottenham for a long time. I am the head coach, I have to take decisions in the best interests of the team and Harry is an important player for us.”
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Andros Townsend and Aaron Lennon are others under consideration to return to the Spurs starting XI, with Kyle Naughton and Federico Fazio both returning to the squad following injury and suspension respectively.
Playmaker Christian Eriksen, meanwhile, admits Pochettino’s project remains a “work in progress”.
The Danish international has been a cornerstone of Pochettino’s first season at the club, though both player and team have been inconsistent thus far.
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