Kane has started every game for Tottenham this season and was back in the starting line-up as Spurs crashed out of the Carabao Cup after losing 2-0 at Nottingham Forest. The 29-year-old’s participation at the City Ground was doubtful due to fatigue, but Conte said he had no choice but to start him due to injuries in his squad. He was withdrawn after 59 minutes, with his side 2-0 down, in what appeared to be a premeditated move, but the England captain has played all but 33 minutes of Tottenham’s 12 games in the last 39 days. Conte revealed Kane was withdrawn from training on Tuesday to conserve energy but is far from ideal with England’s campaign in Qatar starting on November 21, followed by another Premier League game on Saturday. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Highlights from the Carabao Cup third round match between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur “With Harry, until this morning we were waiting to see if he could start or not,” said the Italian. “But in this situation, he was the only striker for us. For this reason, I can only say thank you for the availability they show me. “It was a fatigue problem. Really, really tired and yesterday we had a gentle workout and at one point he stopped himself to regain energy. “But it’s ok, it’s just tiredness but it’s normal because Harry played every game. When you have a player like him, it’s hard to decide not to play with him. “Other players might say to me, ‘I’m tired and I don’t want to play and help the team.’ I have a group of players who are men and good players because of that. Image: Eric Dier also started for Tottenham at Forest “Someone else could be selfish and think to themselves why in a week they have to play the World Cup. On the contrary, Harry Kane has shown that he is a very good person. “Today was very difficult if Kane said to me, ‘maybe it’s better not to start today because I’m at a high risk of injury.’ “But I repeat, it is normal, what is happening in this period.” Given Tottenham’s grueling schedule, it is no surprise that they were outplayed by Forest, who did not show their place at the bottom of the Premier League. Image: Harry Kane played 59 minutes at Nottingham Forest They have a rich history in the League Cup, winning it four times, and moved into the last 16 as Jesse Lingard finally broke Forest’s duck, adding Renan Lodi’s opener. Lingard has made an exciting start to his Forest career following his surprise free transfer in the summer and hadn’t scored or assisted in his first 12 appearances – but he put it on a night to remember at the City Ground. The former Manchester United forward headed home from close range in the second half seven minutes after Lodi’s opener. Image: Renan Lodi celebrates after scoring against Tottenham Forest boss Steve Cooper said: “I thought he was outstanding. He scored one with his head and could have scored another with his head. “I thought his position play was good. He caught the spaces and found the spaces very well. “And, more importantly, he did what you want your offensive players to do – you want them to be a threat and have an end product. “He did that, not just with the goal, but some of his final passes and link-up play were also very good. I’m very pleased with him tonight, as with everyone else.”
Will Kane’s fatigue trouble England?
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz: “No one could believe their eyes when they saw Harry Kane in Tottenham’s starting line-up in their Carabao Cup defeat at Nottingham Forest. “With their Champions League group stage coming to an end, this was the England captain’s chance to get some much-needed rest ahead of the World Cup and he failed to do so, playing an hour before going off against Spurs 2. -0 below. Image: Kane makes his way into the second half “Since the start of June, Kane has made 27 appearances for club and country, starting 26. He has been on the bench for just 117 minutes of football since then. If he plays the full 90 minutes against Leeds on Saturday, he will average term one game every 5.7 days over the past five months. “What does Kane have to do in his very rare spare time to keep himself mentally and physically fresh, and where is his tipping point? England fans and Gareth Southgate have to hope it doesn’t happen six weeks from now and the World Cup final. “Kane must now lead the country having led the Tottenham line in every game this season so far. Spurs manager Antonio Conte says he is managing his workload in training, which is notoriously intense.”
