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Tottenham Hotspur have been sweating a bit on two of their biggest stars ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final. Harry Kane has been out since the first semifinal match against Manchester City with an ankle injury, while Jan Vertonghen picked up a knock against Ajax in Amsterdam.
However, there’s good news — both Harry and Jan have declared themselves fit and ready to play in Madrid on Saturday. Here’s Jan telling a Belgian news outlet that he’s good to go as per Kristof Terreur:
Jan Vertonghen has told @vtmnieuws that he will be fit for the Champions League final. “I have fully trained with the squad last week. I feel good - super good. I have an history of ankle injuries, but I was only worried for half an hour - just after the Ajax game.” #thfc pic.twitter.com/5eqilZ45kQ
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) May 27, 2019
Kane told the English media something similar, but said it’s ultimately up to Mauricio Pochettino and what he wants to do.
“I feel good. I started to feel my way back with the team at the end of last week. There have been no problems so far. This week now is to get the fitness as high as possible. Then it is down to the manager.
“Like I said, I feel good. The manager will assess it and decide whether I am ready to go or not. But so far, I feel good and ready. The ankle is strong. I did a lot of work on my own to get me into a good place to go back with the team. Since I have been with them, I have been full training, doing everything. I am at a place now where I am ready to go for any game.
“I feel ready and fit. I am sure every player wants to start. But that is not my decision. That is the manager’s decision. I will be ready for everything, but we will see what happens.”
That last bit about Pochettino’s decision is key, because we’re not sure what he will do. Starting a healthy Kane in a Champions League final is a no-brainer, but these are not normal circumstances and it’d be difficult to say with certainty that Kane is both healthy and fit. Poch tried to hedge his bets while speaking to the media himself about Harry.
Poch on Kane: "Harry in the last week start to be involved in the group. The situation with him is very positive. I still cannot tell you he'll be 100% fit, available to start, be on the bench, or out. But we're happy with his progression."
— Dan Kilpatrick (@Dan_KP) May 27, 2019
I get the sense that Pochettino will be keeping his cards very close to his vest with regards to Kane. I’d be surprised if we have any firm understanding of Poch’s plans for Harry before we see the lineups 75 minutes before kickoff at the Wanda Metropolitano.