Spurs Boss Mauricio Pochettino Admits it Will Be 'Difficult to Stop' a Harry Kane England Call Up

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino admits the decision to allow Harry Kane to be called up by England is solely down to England manager Gareth Southgate, the Daily Mail reports.

The England international, 23, who has been nursing an ankle injury that has kept him out for nearly two months, is nearing a return to full fitness but will be unavailable for selection in Spurs' Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

But Pochettino has admitted the 23-year-old could be in the matchday squad for the north London derby against Arsenal this Sunday, which could potentially see the striker prove his fitness to England boss, Gareth Southgate.

The former England U21 boss will announce the squad to take on Scotland in the World Cup qualifier on Sunday and it is understood that Southgate is keen for Kane to start as a lone striker against Gordan Strachan's men.

And Pochettino has accepted that it could be a possibility if Kane is included in the squad to face Arsenal on Sunday.

"If he is available then it will be difficult for us to stop him if the national team call," he said. "It is up to the manager of the national team to select him or not. We cannot stop that.

"If Harry is available then it is if Gareth wants to select him."

When quizzed over whether the 23-year-old would be available for the clash against their north London rivals, the former Southampton boss responded: "Maybe. He made half the training session with the team on Tuesday. We expect him to complete a full session on maybe Thursday."

The Argentine also rejected the idea of not including Kane in the matchday squad despite being fit and insisted he would never get in the way of the national team.

‘No, I wouldn’t not select him just to keep him here. We are pro-national team always for all the players. If Harry is available we are not stupid to say no to try to protect him so that after two weeks he can be with us. 

"We want the best for the team and for the player. It’s true that maybe it makes more sense for the national team to say 'OK, stay at home. Stay with Tottenham and train for two weeks'. 

"But, if they consider that they need Harry and he is available to play against Arsenal then we cannot stop them."