Mourinho on Kane: "Am I going to give him a rest on December 26 as we have a match after two days? No, I'm not going to give [Kane] a rest"
Saturday 14 December 2019 10:54, UK
Jose Mourinho says he cannot afford to rest Harry Kane over the busy Christmas period.
The England skipper was left out of the squad for the dead-rubber Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich in midweek
But with Spurs playing four more fixtures before the end of the year - starting with Sunday's game with Wolves at Molineux - and inexperienced teenager Troy Parrott the only replacement striker available, Mourinho insists Kane can expect to be involved in every game.
Mourinho said: "It's a sign of matches and matches. Am I going to give him a rest on December 26 as we have a match after two days?
"No, I'm not going to give [Kane] a rest. There are matches and matches.
"The Munich match was one of these ones when the result was secondary, but when the result is fundamental... number nine is Harry and Parrott.
"Parrott is a 17-year-old boy that played five minutes in the Premier League and we'll give him more time.
"He needs more time to develop and so, yes, Harry is fundamental for us."
Giovani Lo Celso can also expect to feature over the Christmas period, despite Mourinho admitting the Deadline Day signing from Real Betis is not currently at the same level as some of his team-mates.
The Argentine got his first start under Mourinho at the Allianz Arena in midweek but struggled to impress, having struggled with injury when he first arrived in north London.
"It looks obvious the way Dele (Alli) is playing, Sonny (Son Heung-min)... At this moment they are one step ahead," added Mourinho.
"I couldn't hide from you that we have a few players one step ahead because of performance. So you want to be objective and ask if he starts Sunday? No, he doesn't.
"He's our player. Our squad is not a big squad in numbers, and he will start for sure because it's impossible to play all the time with the same players."
Asked how long it might take the Argentina international to show his potential, Mourinho said: "I don't know. [It's] impossible for me to say that.
"Some players they accelerate the process, some players arrive immediately and fit in, others they take [a] long time. It's difficult to say."
Meanwhile, Spurs have confirmed that left-back Ben Davies has travelled to Qatar for treatment on his ankle injury.
