Paul Robinson has warned Jose Mourinho to be careful not to demand too much of Harry Kane when the Premier League returns, suggesting that he needs to be eased into action.
Kane has not been in competitive action for almost six months after suffering a hamstring injury on New Years Day against Southampton.
The suspension of the league due to the COVID-19 pandemic has afforded the Spurs star the time he needed to get back to full fitness, and the 26-year-old has insisted that he is raring to get back on to the pitch.
However, Robinson feels that the burden of playing every few days may be too much for the England captain to handle.
The former Spurs goalkeeper told Sky Sports: “You have to worry whether Harry Kane can play two or three games a week, whether he can play 90 minutes on a Saturday and then have to wait again for the following Saturday to play another 90 minutes.
“It will be all about how Jose (Mourinho) manages the situation because you can’t expect a player whose been out after that length of time to be able to come back and play three games a week with all the demands Premier League football puts on you.”
The Premier League has confirmed that teams will be allowed to name nine substitutes on the bench instead of the usual seven, with five available changes per match instead of three.
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Robinson believes that managers have to be wise in how they use their squad since the players are returning after a sustained break.
He added: “Managers are going to have to be very aware and conscious as to how they man-manage their players’ fitness, injuries and squad rotation.
“Squad rotation, in particular, is going to be huge in the next three or four weeks with the number of games – training is going to be minimal so it’s going to be all about preparation and recovery.”
Spurs Web Opinion
There is no doubt that we will see a lot of squad rotation when the league resumes as the players will take some time to get match fit due to the long break. However, I do not necessarily think that Kane is in a different boat to the others as more or less every single player will have to be eased into proceedings. Having said that, perhaps his injury history warrants the striker a rest or two.
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