“No chance” – Mourinho elaborates on Kane fitness amid early return talk

Jose Mourinho says Harry Kane will not be rushed back from injury ahead of schedule but understands why the Tottenham striker played in the Champions League final last season despite being unfit.

Kane has been sidelined since New Year’s Day after rupturing the tendon in his left hamstring. The injury required surgery and it has been suggested the England captain could be touch-and-go for this summer’s European Championships.

But in his press conference on Friday ahead of Spurs’ Premier League clash with Wolves, Mourinho gave a promising update on Kane, suggesting he may be able to play between three and five games at the end of the campaign.

However, in quotes later published by the London Evening Standard, Mourinho insisted Kane will not return before he is ready.

“That (realistic) is what we are going to be,” Mourinho said.

“Tottenham doesn’t end in May. There is going to be Tottenham for many, many years so we would never risk Harry in a difficult situation. No chance. He is going to be back when he is ready to be back.”

Kane also missed a large part of the second half of last season but returned for the Champions League final despite suggestions he was not match fit. Mourinho believes nobody was to blame for the situation as the occasion trumped all protocols.

The Spurs boss added: “I would play only with one leg if I was a player and I was playing in a Champions League final.

“With crutches. How can you stop a player playing in a Champions League final? Every player breaks protocols to play a Champions League final or a cup final. There are some matches where protocols mean nothing, nothing.

“So if that was the case, I think it isn’t the case to blame Harry or medical departments. That is just the nature of the way football is.”

It is now up to the club to strike a balance between the necessity for Kane to fully recover and to feature in what could be a crucial run of games at the end of the season.