Sam Allardyce has said that it would be a risk for Tottenham to play Harry Kane in the Champions League final.
The England captain has been out of action since April 11 when he suffered an ankle injury- his second such injury this term – in the first leg of Spurs’ Champions League quarter-final tie with Manchester City.
The North London club have the chance to win their first-ever European Cup against Liverpool on June 1, with Kane facing a battle to be fit for the showpiece final.
According to Allardyce, however, Spurs should not risk playing the 25-year-old in Madrid.
“I personally wouldn’t [put him in],” the pundit told talkSPORT‘s Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast [Tuesday, 8am]. “After all those games he’s been missing, for me he’d be a great sub.
“You would have a very upset Harry Kane, but if [leaving Kane out] is best for the team, it’s best for the team. You’ll know from when you were injured and I know from when I was injured for that period of time.
“Having not had a game or that much training with the lads, I know the players are a lot fitter now and look after themselves a lot better than they used to with all the medical staff nowadays, but he’s bound to be a touch rusty.”
England are set to play the Netherlands in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League in Porto just five days after the final in Madrid.
OPINION
This has been far and away Kane’s most unlucky season with injuries. Considering how vital Kane has been to Spurs in recent seasons – and with all due respect to Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min for stepping up remarkably in his absence – it’s a wonder they’ve done what they have in terms of reaching the final. Kane will obviously be desperate to play in the final. For a player of his current stature, he would be the last person to turn down an opportunity to help his team win a trophy of this magnitude. But if he starts and injures his ankle again, whether that be through a lack of fitness, game time or just sheer unluckiness, not only will it affect Spurs’ mood during the final but it will also rule Kane out for the Nations League – another glorious opportunity for the striker to pick up silverware. Kane and Spurs must tread carefully with this one.