Maurico Pochettino is sweating on the fitness of Harry Kane after the striker scored Tottenham Hotspur’s winner, but had to leave the pitch on a stretcher with an ankle injury.
Kane netted his second Premier League goal in as many games just before the hour mark after taking advantage of a terrible mistake from Sunderland central defender Papy Djilobodji.
But the 23-year-old twisted his ankle under a challenge from Djilobodji with just three minutes remaining and will now have a scan on Monday with Spurs fearing ligament damage.
“Harry will be assessed tomorrow (Monday),” said Pochettino. “It was tough, he twisted the ankle. Now he feels pain and we see tomorrow. It’s painful and we need to wait.
“There may be a problem with his ligaments, but it’s difficult to assess today. We need to wait.
“It’s difficult without Harry Kane, but that’s why we signed Vincent Janssen and he is working well. He’s a striker that can give us a lot of things. That’s why you sign players, to arrive in the moment when you need them at the same level.”
There was better news for Spurs over the fitness of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele, who were also withdrawn, as Pochettino claimed the duo suffered nothing worse than cramp.
“They only felt cramps in the hamstring, it’s not that big an issue,” said Pochettino. “When you’re in different competitions, the Champions League is a different competition, we spent a lot of energy on Wednesday – it’s different to the Europa League. It’s new for us, so it’s important to learn.
“All the players are internationals, they come back after a difficult summer, playing in the Euros, difficult holidays, pre-season and it’s difficult to get fit.”
While it was Kane who grabbed the vital goal, it was Hueng-Min Son who constantly ripped apart the Sunderland defence and provided Tottenham’s biggest threat. The South Korean hit the post in the first half and also planted a corner straight on to the head of Toby Alderweireld, but Pickford saved.
Pochettino made a host of changes from side that lost to Monaco in the Champions League, but he stuck with Son at the expense of Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela.
“I’m happy for him,” said Pochettino. “His first season was tough for him, but today he was very good. His performance was fantastic. That is what we have waited for from him.”
Tottenham almost allowed Son to join Wolfsburg in the summer, but Pochettino is now pleased the forward agreed to stay and fight for his place.
“He came to see me and said ‘I need your help’,” said Pochettino. “I said ‘OK always my door is open’ and we decided that he would stay.
“But it’s true that after the Olympic Games his idea was to leave to go to Germany. One thing is what the player wants, the other is the club decision. In his mind, he wanted to move, but in the end he accepted to stay and fight for his position. I always say to all the players, the truth is on the pitch. If you deserve to play, it’s not about names, it’s about performances.”
(The Telegraph)
