The England skipper is set to don the armband for his club side as well in the wake of the ‘keepers long-term injury, but his manager has no concerns
Harry Kane is ready to step into the shoes of injured Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris but he must lead with his heart, according to manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The French goalkeeper dislocated his elbow in the 3-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton earlier in October, and is set to be out of action until at least the turn of the year.
But Pochettino, who has been impressed with Kane’s captaincy on international duty with England, says Kane has learned from Lloris and is more than ready to step up in his absence.
“He has learned a lot from Hugo, who is a good example,” said Pochettino. “He has become a natural leader.
“His commitment is great, not only for Tottenham but for the national team. We are going to miss Hugo for a few months and to have Harry to step up with others is important. He is young but he is very mature, he is capable.”
Kane drew praise from many earlier in the week for his conduct as England beat Bulgaria 6-0 in a game marred by racist behaviour from some sections of the Bulgarian home support.
The 26-year-old was a key line of communication between the players, manager Gareth Southgate and the refereeing team, as the match was twice halted but eventually went on as England made a group decision to carry on playing.
Having also skippered the Three Lions to the semi-finals of last summer’s World Cup in Russia, Kane is no stranger to the responsibility of the captain’s armband.
“Harry does not need to feel too much pressure,” Pochettino added. “He needs to act natural. The most important thing is to not show too much the responsibility on your shoulders.
“If you are a natural leader, you don’t feel the responsibility. When you do what you feel in your heart, it’s natural.
“The problem is if you are not a real leader and you need to act, you spend energy thinking: ‘How do I face this problem?’ But if you trust in yourself and you are a natural leader, that, I promise, you don’t feel the responsibility.
“Hugo is our captain and one of the most important players. We all feel sad for his situation but we need to move on. If we find an excuse because Hugo is injured we are going to fail.”
Spurs have re-signed former goalkeeper Michel Vorm in the wake of Lloris’ injury, with the Dutchman set to provide competition for Paulo Gazzaniga between the posts.
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