Mauricio Pochettino insists Tottenham have never considered letting in-form striker Harry Kane leave the club.
Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock claimed on Thursday he tried to sign Kane on loan before the start of the campaign but that Spurs were keen to keep the striker for their Europa League fixtures.
Kane has scored 11 goals in all competitions for Spurs this season and his impressive performances have seen him start all of Tottenham’s last four Barclays Premier League matches.
“It is the first time I have heard this information,” Pochettino said in response to Warnock’s comments.
“I have never known it was possible. Our first idea was to keep Harry Kane and give him chances to play.
“My idea was to keep Harry because we believe in him and his potential to play for Tottenham.
“He has since shown we were right in our decision to keep him.”
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Kane is one of a handful of home-grown players to have been given a chance under Pochettino, with Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb also enjoying the faith of the new head coach.
Pochettino believes Kane’s affiliation with the club is a valuable asset to the team.
“At the moment Harry is not feeling any pressure,” Pochettino added.
“It is important that he is a player who feels the club, he came through the academy and he knows our values.
“He is English, he shows passion and is in very good condition – he is a very important player for us.”
Kane’s rise to prominence at White Hart Lane casts more uncertainty over the future of Emmanuel Adebayor.
Adebayor has not played since Tottenham lost 2-1 at home to Stoke last month, after which the striker said the home supporters were having a negative effect on the team.
Pochettino claims he enjoys a healthy relationship with the Togo forward, who he says has been out with a back injury and a virus.
“My relationship with Emmanuel is very good, I was a player and I understand my players,” Pochettino explained.
“After the international break he came back with a back problem and after that he got a virus.
“I spoke with him today at training and he is not ready to play, he still felt weak – maybe in the next few games he will be ready to help the team.
“All the players in the squad are in my plans for the future.
“It is normal for there to be a lot speculation in the media around the players and the club but for me I don’t comment on that.”
Also on the comeback trail is right-back Kyle Walker, who has recovered from an abdominal injury and played for the Under-21 side against Manchester City on Monday.
Walker will feature for the development team again at Fulham on Saturday as he continues to regain fitness.
“He played against Man City Under-21s but it is not the same training and playing,” Pochettino said.
“He needs to compete and tomorrow is another opportunity for him to get more minutes and in the next few weeks maybe he will be ready to come again into the group.”
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