Jose Mourinho needs to save Harry Kane from himself

Harry Kane is trying to come back early from injury to save Tottenham once again. Jose Mourinho needs to keep the English centre forward out of action.

Tottenham desperately need Harry Kane back on the pitch if they want to revive their floundering attack. Predictably, that has the English centre forward rushing to return early from his most recent injury. It’s time for Jose Mourinho to step in and put his talented striker on ice.

In other words, Mourinho needs to prevent Kane from returning this season. The temptation to get the prolific centre forward back on the pitch is obvious. He’s a world-class goal scorer and Spurs certainly need to add attacking punch to their front line. Putting him back into the starting XI will be an even more tantalizing idea if Tottenham remain in the race for a top four Premier League finish in the season’s final weeks.

Securing Champions League football is an important thing for Spurs, but Kane’s long-term fitness must be the club’s top priority. That means his manager must step in and force him to do what’s right for his body. It’s clearly in Kane’s best interest to take additional time to make sure he has a chance to fully recover.

Mourinho should also urge Kane to sit out duty for England this summer. That would be a wildly unpopular move for fans of The Three Lions, but the Portuguese manager doesn’t owe his current country of residence any favours. It’s his job to make sure Kane is ready to start next season for Tottenham. His performance this summer for England will only wear down his body in advance of the next Premier League campaign.

Of course, there’s no certainty that Mourinho has the influence with Kane to convince him to take a long sabbatical from competitive football. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t give the idea his full effort. Taking an entire summer away from football might be the best thing that can happen for Kane’s short and medium-term future. It might be painful for a few months, but the benefit the rest would provide his body next August would be well worth that stress.

Unfortunately, the most likely outcome here is that Kane will rush back to the pitch for Tottenham before the Premier League campaign reaches its conclusion. Spurs fans should hold thier breath that an early return doesn’t take years off his career. It’s time for Mourinho to save his best player from his own desire to play football at all costs. Rest is what Kane needs. It also happens to be what’s best for Tottenham in the long run.