Mauricio Pochettino Refuses to Rule Harry Kane Out of Important Chelsea Clash

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has stopped short of putting a date on Harry Kane's return to action and has refused to rule him out of the crucial clash against Chelsea on April 1.

The forward, who was unable to complete the 90 minutes against Bournemouth in Sunday's 4-1 win after injuring his ankle, is still using crutches and wearing a protective boot. And it is believed that the London derby will arrive too soon for him.

Pochettino, however, has said that the player still needs to be assessed on a daily basis, steering well clear of ruling him out of the match against the Blues.

​"With different players, it's the same," Pochettino said via ESPN FC. "You're going to read all the info in the media -- that's one thing. The reality is now he's in his crutches and boot and we need to assess him day by day and we'll see the reaction.

"We want to recover him as soon as possible and the professionals here are focused on trying to recover. We cannot put a day or date on him starting to participate in training with the team. Step by step. It's not a long-term injury and you can keep your form and that helps you to be fit when you fix your problem.

"We're happy because he's so positive and when you see a positive player it helps us too, to believe he can be ready again to compete."

Tottenham are currently five points ahead of Chelsea, who have dropped down to the fifth place on the Premier League table while they sit in third. A win would likely ensure that Antonio Conte's side remain out of the top four, while a loss could leave them in danger of slipping down themselves.