Football
ESPN staff 9y

Harry Kane can be one of world's best - Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino says reported Manchester United target Harry Kane is "delighted to stay" at Tottenham Hotspur, and backed him to become of the world's best strikers.

Kane, 22, enjoyed a breakthrough season with Spurs in 2014-15, scoring 31 goals and earning his first senior call-up to the England national side.

That form led to speculation linking the player with a £40 million move to United, but Pochettino says there is no longer any question that the Spurs youth product could leave White Hart Lane.

"Any doubts about his commitment are gone," Pochettino told national newspapers. "He is delighted to stay. He is a big supporter of the club. He is very happy and we are very happy he is with us. He's excited to start the season with us.

"We have very ambitious players. We need to keep this mentality, try to build a tough and very strong group for the next few years to try and achieve important things."

Prior to last season, Kane had made limited impact during a series of loan spells to clubs including Norwich and Leicester, but Pochettino said he expects him to build on his recent success.

"Harry can manage this pressure," the Spurs boss said. "He is young, but he is very mature. He is in a very good way to become one of the best strikers in the world."

The former Espanyol and Southampton coach was asked to confirm that he meant Kane could be one of the best strikers in world football, and he said: "Yes. If you can do it in England and Europe, you are doing it in the best competitions in the world."

Spurs are also hopeful that goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will remain at the club, despite interest from United as they assess potential replacements for David De Gea.

"We are happy that Hugo is our player and that was never in doubt," Pochettino said.

Lloris is likely to miss Saturday's Premier League opener away to United, though, after suffering a broken wrist last month. 

"His wrist was an accident," Pochettino said. "He broke it close to the swimming pool. It was unlucky because he's a keeper.

"In terms of Saturday, it's tough. It's not easy because we do a lot of work on physical condition, but maybe this week he will start to catch the ball. Maybe it's early to think he will play on Saturday, but maybe he has a small chance. We don't decide yet."

Lloris is reported to be eager to play Champions League football, but Pochettino accepts it will be difficult for Spurs to qualify via the Premier League.

"It is true that maybe it is not easy to reduce the gap to the top four," Pochettino said. "It is one step but a big step. We need to get good results from the beginning."

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