Mourinho Cautions Southgate About Overworking Harry Kane

Harry Kane is only human and is not someone who would be spared from fatigue or injuries. But the reality of what he is doing right now is that he is expected to play his best wherever he may be playing. That includes England where the 27-year-old is likely to be utilized by Gareth Southgate for the team’s triple bill.

A change in the international schedule has resulted in some players having to play more than before. That would include Kane, who also needs to fulfill his obligations with Tottenham. Now, Jose Mourinho is calling on Southgate not to overplay the English striker who will have a loaded plate if he plays them all, The Guardian reported. England will face Wales in a friendly match next Thursday. After that, the team is facing Belgium and Denmark.

With a bevy of clubs where Kane is expected to be used, Mourinho urges Southgate to utilize the 27-year-old wisely. For him, three games are too much.

“Three games are obviously too much, especially for my players,” Mourinho said.

Mourinho said he would have resisted and rested Kane if given the choice. A perfect example of that was him sitting the English player in their Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea. For him, if the Spurs could do it, so can England.

"Hopefully, Gareth and Steve understand what happened with Tottenham this week and they respect the players," said Mourinho via the BBC. "That's just my hope but I'm not going to call, or ask, or beg. I'm not going to press. I think they deserve their freedom and I have the utmost respect for them."

As for the Spurs player needs, Mourinho is still on the prowl for a center-half and center-forward. One player that they are working on is Carlos Vinicius of Benfica. It will be a one-year loan and will include a $50 million-plus option to buy after the season, according to NBC Sports.

The Brazilian has scored 23 times with 13 assists during the 2019-20 season. Those 18 goals allowed Vinicius to tie for the Portuguese top-flight lead with Pizzi and Rio Ave’s Mehdi Taremi.

In related news, Maccabi Haifa apologized to Kane and Tottenham after a video emerged showing defender Mohammad Abu Fani hurling profanities at the English national. The comments were deemed inappropriate by chief executive Assaf Ben-Dov who made a rare pre-match press conference to issue a statement.

"Our club condemns such behaviour. We are a club that advocates the person before the player,” he said. "I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Tottenham and Harry Kane, who we greatly respect. We wish them a successful season, thank you very much."