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Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: 'Crazy' to rest Harry Kane against Inter Milan

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has said it would be "crazy" not to play Harry Kane against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

England striker Kane struggled to make an impact in Saturday's Premier League home defeat to Liverpool but has denied that he is suffering from burnout after the World Cup.

And Pochettino, speaking at a news conference ahead of the game at the San Siro, said Kane -- who has scored twice in the Premier League this season -- would be starting.

"I think we would be crazy to think different. I don't know what you expect from me, or what you think my answer should be," he said.

"He's one of the best strikers in the world. I don't care that he wasn't great [against Liverpool]. He's going to score goals and he's going to perform in the way that we want and expect, no problem."

Pochettino said he did not feel Kane was struggling after the World Cup, adding: "If you say it's only Harry, I don't like it when people point the finger at some players.

"It's always collective and we need to help him, to give the ball in a better position for him. But it's a collective thing, not just Harry.

"It's not a problem. Of course there is a challenge with nine players [having been] involved until the end of the World Cup, but I'm not going to complain.

"When you win, you win. When you lose, yes of course you need to talk about different things, but I'm not worried.

"We are going to win a lot of games. We have trust in the squad. Of course we need to improve, but we're in a very good way."

Meanwhile, Inter boss Luciano Spalletti rejected suggestions that Kane looked tired, saying his movement is that of a striker at the top of his game.

"No, I don't agree," Spalletti told a news conference when asked whether Kane appeared to be struggling. "We've watched Tottenham's games and we saw him working hard in every situation. In terms of metres run, he has the numbers you'd expect from a strong striker.

"Tottenham rely heavily on him because he's someone who can drop short, but then often the move ends with a cross to him. He's good at finding the players who run off him with his layoffs."