Pochettino says Harry Kane will be fit for North London Derby

Tottenham Hotspur are a bit banged up here in the short term, with no fewer than six players nursing injuries or knocks since the Champions League win over real Madrid.

Victor Wanyama, Hugo Lloris, Michel Vorm, Harry Winks, Harry Kane, and Toby Alderweireld are all either out or somewhat questionable, while Mousa Dembele, Danny Rose, and Erik Lamela are either just returning from injury or close to it. That’s a little troubling with the North London Derby looming in a couple of weeks, even with an international break in between.

But it looks like there’s one player we don’t have to worry about. According to Spurs beat writer Alasdair Gold, Pochettino has given the all-clear on Kane, saying he’ll be ready to go when Spurs travel to the Emirates on November 18.

That’s pretty fantastic news. Now, if you want to be skeptical, we already know that Poch lies about player injuries but usually that goes the other way — normally he’ll obfuscate or hedge his bets somewhat, saying “we will assess him but it is not a big thing” or something like that. It’s rare that he comes out and says “He’s going to play” if he’s really hurt. So that’s good!

Kane’s always raring to go for the NLD. He’s scored in five of the last six North London Derbies, scoring six goals. He loves playing against, and beating, the Gooners. While Spurs have proven that they can win without him, having him healthy and fit will be huge in what is always a terrifying passionate match.

We haven’t yet heard any updates about the other injured players, though. Lloris and Vorm are both still hurting, so there’s a chance we could have Gazza in goal. Toby Alderweireld is probably out a few more weeks. The others are big question marks and we’ll just have to wait and see.