Harry Kane has ‘small possibility’ of returning for Tottenham’s clash with Chelsea

It was thought Kane would be out for a long time with the ankle injury suffered at Bournemouth

Harry Kane is in with a chance of returning for Spurs against Chelsea this weekend (Getty)

Mauricio Pochettino says there is a “small possibility” that Harry Kane could make a startling recovery in time to feature in Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League game against Chelsea this Sunday.

Kane has been out of action since the ankle injury he suffered in the 4-1 win at Bournemouth three weeks ago, which forced him to pull out of the England squad for the games against the Netherlands and Italy.

Initially, the injury was expected to put him out for over a month. And the likeliest outcome remains that Kane will be eased back into first-team action, perhaps for the trip to Stoke a week on Saturday. But Pochettino paid tribute to the speed of his recovery, his strong base level of fitness and his mental toughness, admitting that he may yet be able to play some part in this weekend’s crunch London derby.

“A small possibility,” Pochettino said when asked about Kane’s chances of involvement. “He is very positive and doing very well. Every day he is improving. We need to assess in the next few days. It’s difficult now to say yes or no.

“It’s not about his body, it’s about his brain. The most important muscle that he has is his brain. He’s so determined, so positive. After Bournemouth, everybody believed it would be a long period out, but the resolution has been fantastic.”

“He uses now the benefit of what he does every day, when he is fit,” said Jesus Perez, Pochettino’s assistant and a specialist in strength and conditioning. “When he’s injured, none of the routines change. The fitter you are, the quicker you recover. He is doing his rehab, he is doing well.”

Victory at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 1990 would put Tottenham eight points clear of Chelsea in the race for the fourth Champions League spot, and even a half-fit Kane or bench cameo would give Antonio Conte’s side pause for thought. There is also the small personal matter of the Golden Boot race, in which Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has taken a decisive lead over Kane after his four goals against Watford before the international break.

“It’s not in his mind that the priority is to catch Salah or another player,” Pochettino said. “That’s what makes him special. He wants to score goals and the consequence can be that he wins trophies, but the most important thing is he wants to help the team.”