Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that there are players in his first team for whom it would be a “big risk” to use in tonight’s FA Cup replay at Leicester City.
Pochettino is expected to start with several fringe players at the King Power Stadium, giving the likes of Harry Kane and Jan Vertonghen a rest.
Kane, Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have started in all 22 of Tottenham’s Premier League games this season.
While the two Belgian centre-halves seem to be coping very well with the intense workload, Kane – the only senior striker at Spurs – has shown serious signs of fatigue in recent weeks.
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“We have players in a condition where it’s a big risk to play,” Pochettino said. “Always we assess the players and maybe we take a decision to rest some players.
“It is a good challenge as they play with a different team in the FA Cup, 10 players different from in the Premier League. We have a good chance to go to the next round and the FA Cup is important for us.”
Pochettino is likely to be torn. He knows that Kane needs a rest, but he has no alternative to the England forward.
Midfielder Heung-Min Son has tried to impersonate a striker in Kane’s rare absences, but he is not kidding anyone.
Spurs need to recruit a striker before the window closes. Because if Kane loses form or fitness, Tottenham will collapse.
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