Tottenham assistant head coach Cristian Stellini has refused to rule out Harry Kane from starting their Carabao Cup third round tie at Nottingham Forest, insisting it is not up to the club to rest the England captain ahead of the World Cup.
Kane has started every game for Spurs this season, missing just 14 minutes of action across both the Premier League and Champions League so far.
A trip to the City Ground in the Carabao Cup could therefore present Tottenham with a good chance to rest their talisman, but Stellini has said the 29-year-old is in contention to start in the East Midlands on Wednesday night.
“The decision (on whether to play Kane) Antonio will take tomorrow because it is too short a time from the last game to analyse which type of energy the players can use in the next game,” Stellini said.
“Antonio will speak with all the players and take the right decision for the team but it is an important game and an important competition and we want to win.
“I want to see Harry Kane in every game. The decision is up to Antonio but I love football and I love to see talented players and Harry Kane is a talented player and in every competition I hope to see him play for Tottenham.”
With Kane set to lead England into the World Cup just 12 days after the Carabao Cup tie and with a tricky Premier League trip to Newcastle to come in between, a rest against Forest could help the Three Lions when they get their tournament under way.
Stellini, however, insists Conte and his coaching staff will do what is best for Tottenham and not for England.
We don't have to think about the World Cup, it is not our job— Cristian Stellini
“We don’t have to think about the World Cup, it is not our job,” he added.
“Our job is to take care of our players and to try to use them to reach our targets but also to save the players.
“We are not crazy! We have to take the right decision with the players sometimes.”
