Boost for Tottenham as Harry Kane on track to return next week

Tottenham’s flagging season has been given a major boost by the news that Harry Kane should be able to return from his ankle injury next week and could even feature in Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Everton.

Kane sustained knocks to both ankles in last Thursday’s defeat by Liverpool, and there were initial concerns that he could be out for a number of weeks. However, the issue is not serious and José Mourinho expects him to be ready for the visit to Manchester City on February 13th if the Everton match comes too soon.

There is a chance Dele Alli could make a comeback of his own in the near future, with Mourinho explaining the pair have found “common ground” in sketching out the player’s potential return to favour.

Mourinho’s relief about Kane’s prognosis was clear. “I think it’s not a very optimistic thing to say that next week he should be playing,” he said. “I think it will just be a consequence of his good evolution.

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“So we’re happy. We were a bit scared when everything happened but now we’re much more positive. I believe for one of those matches [Everton and City] he should be back.”

Loan move

Alli had been slated for a loan move to Paris Saint-Germain during the transfer window, but that was shelved because Giovani Lo Celso is expected to miss the next three weeks with a hamstring problem. His lack of involvement has been a thorny issue all season, but Mourinho said the door was open to Alli once he shakes off a tendon injury.

“He needs to recover his injury, he needs to be back in training and have a fresh start,” he said. “I had a good conversation with him yesterday. We spoke around [what Alli must do in order to play] and we found very common ground, let’s say.

“It’s an important period for the team and for him also. We need him. We need a good Dele Alli and we’re just waiting for him to be back to normality and training with the team. Of course, a conversation doesn’t make miracles or put a player in great form. But I believe the conversation was maybe the extra motivation he needed to be back as soon as possible and become available for the team. I believe that when he’s physically ready, he’ll be in a good place mentally to go for it.”

‘Creation and magic’

Alli will not be ready for a return when Spurs host Chelsea on Thursday and, given the absences of Kane and Lo Celso, they will continue to lack what Mourinho called “a little bit of creation and magic” in attack. He said they had also lost “dynamics” in Kane’s particular case. Those qualities were sorely absent in the defeat at Brighton on Sunday, and a third straight defeat would see Thomas Tuchel’s side leapfrog them in the top-four race.

Mourinho confirmed Serge Aurier, who left the stadium at half-time when substituted against Liverpool, would return to the squad. He reiterated that the full-back’s absence at the Amex was not injury-related.

– Guardian