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Spurs manager Antonio Conte says Harry Kane has very low energy levels ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
As reported by NDTV Sports, Conte believes Kane is running on empty amid a busy season.
Kane played one hour in Spurs’ EFL Cup third-round defeat at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, with Conte saying he was forced into starting the striker due to a lack of other available options.
The forward was replaced on the hour mark by Spaniard Bryan Gil. Fellow forwards Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski also came on at that time.
Both the Brazilian and the Swede are slowly returning from injury. Fellow attacker Son Heung-min is currently sidelined with a fractured eye socket.
Spurs striker Kane “really, really tired”
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Kane sits 20th in the leaderboard for Premier League minutes played this season. The majority of players ahead of him are goalkeepers.
His manager has emphasised that while the striker is certainly not injured, he is struggling with fatigue due to the number of minutes played.
“He was really, really tired,” said Conte. “Yesterday we had a soft training session, really soft and at one point he stopped himself to recover energy.
“I repeat he’s okay, it’s only fatigue, but it is normal because Harry played every game. When you have a player like him it is difficult to decide not to play with him.”
Conte singles out senior players for stepping up
Conte thanked his senior players for playing in Wednesday’s encounter with Nottingham Forest. Many of Spurs’ rivals opted for weaker starting XIs, handing debuts and minutes to several young players.
Liverpool played mainly youngsters in their penalty shootout win over Derby, with Arsenal opting for a reserve side in their loss to Brighton.
Both Manchester City and Chelsea meanwhile opted for a mix of youth and experience in their respective teams. The former won the game 2-0 at the Etihad.
But due to injuries, the likes of Kane, Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Ivan Perisic all started in the Spurs loss.
“Harry Kane showed to be a really good man also,” said Conte.
“But not only him, it is the same for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ivan Perisic, Eric Dier.
“We faced a bad situation about the injuries and we arrive at the end in difficulty. Now we have to try to rest and recover energy.”
Spurs striker expected to lead line for England
England boss Gareth Southgate is set to name his final 26-man squad later today. And Spurs striker Kane is expected to lead the line.
The Three Lions captain is in fine form for his club this season. He boasts 12 goals from his 21 matches in all competitions.
Only Man City striker Erling Haaland (18) has more Premier League goals this season than Kane’s 11.
The Spurs man has 51 England goals to his name. The striker has already overtaken the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker.
Kane needs just two more to level with all-time top goalscorer Wayne Rooney. Those could arrive in the upcoming World Cup.
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