Jose Mourinho has delivered an update on Harry Kane's fitness after leaving the Tottenham striker out of his Europa League squad on Thursday night.
Kane was not named in Mourinho's final 23-man squad for Tottenham's trip to Wolfsberger in the first leg of their round of 32 tie, with Gareth Bale and Son Heung-min tasked with leading the line in his absence.
Prior to the contest, the Portuguese coach suggested that the Spurs captain's omission was fitness related, and he could now also be a doubt for a Premier League meeting with West Ham at the weekend.
What was said?
Asked to discuss his starting XI before the 4-1 win against Wolfsberger, Mourinho told BT Sport: “[The team] could be even stronger with Harry Kane, Gio Lo Celso or Sergio Reguilon, the players that couldn’t travel.”
However, the Tottenham boss gave a more positive update on the 27-year-old post-match, telling reporters when pressed on whether he will be available for the West Ham game: "I believe so, but an experienced guy that had injuries in the past, he knows his body better than anyone, he knows I want him to play every minute of every game.
Next Match
"I wanted to come here with the best team and the players. But he made the decision based on his feeling that to play this game could be a risk based on the accumulation of injuries and minutes he has.
"We and the sports science staff agreed. I believe Sunday he will be OK and ready."
Kane's injury woes in 2020
Kane was enjoying another fine season at Spurs before injuring both of his ankles during a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the top-flight on January 28.
The England international missed subsequent losses against Brighton and Chelsea, but returned to action earlier than originally expected for an encounter with West Brom earlier this month.
Kane scored in the 2-0 victory over the Baggies, and found the net again a few days later after coming off the bench during a 5-4 reversal at Everton in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
He was back in Mourinho's starting XI as Spurs were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City on Saturday, but it remains to be seen whether he will feature at the London Stadium in three days' time.
The bigger picture
Tottenham fans will hope that Kane doesn't miss any further matches heading into the business end of the season, with a top-four finish still up for grabs in the Premier League along with Europa League and Carabao Cup honours.
The 21-year-old has hit 21 goals in 32 appearances across all competitions already this term, and Spurs have generally lacked a cutting edge in the final third when he's been unavailable.