Harry Kane's Development Is Best Served by Playing in the Europa League

When Tottenham announced their lineup for the Europa League match against Asteras Tripolis, it was met with frustration from their fans.

Harry Kane, the hero of Villa Park, was starting. By virtue of Mauricio Pochettino's rotation policy, it means that Kane is almost certain to be named as a substitute once again when Spurs host Stoke City on Sunday afternoon.

"

Thought Harry Kane might sneak into that 'enlarged' England squad. Worked well with Berahino in U21s and in much better nick that Lambert.

— Mark Bryans (@MarkyBryans) November 6, 2014"

Early Thursday afternoon, Kane was being tipped as a potential surprise name in Roy Hodgson's England squad. Metro Sport even tried to argue that he was an obvious choice for England.

Hodgson himself admitted that Kane's time will come:

"

RH: Like Saido, if Harry Kane continues to do well, it won't be long before he is knocking on the door for a senior call-up

— England (@england) November 6, 2014"

To see him relegated to the Europa League once more seemed even more surprising in this context.

As if to reinforce the confusion of fans and media alike, Kane duly scored a neat header that turned out to be the winning goal. Kane's goal, his 10th this season, was described by ITV commentator Clark Carlisle as "a classic striker's goal."

Tottenham have managed just 21 goals without Kane across all competitions so far this season.

What does Pochettino see that seems to have eluded most observers? Why does he continue to omit the young, prolific striker from his starting lineup in the Premier League?

Pochettino is right to hold Kane back.

Kane began the campaign with a total of just 36 appearances and five goals for Tottenham. Having turned 21 in July, there was no great clamour for him to take the places of Emmanuel Adebayor or Roberto Soldado.

Rather, Kane was allowed to take his place in the lesser competitions and allow his record to speak for itself.

The groundswell of support for the local boy is genuine. This is not the result of a manager putting undue pressure on one of his least experienced squad members. Instead, Kane has won his praise fairly.

The victory over Asteras was Kane's 14th appearance of the season. He has started seven matches and made substitute appearances in another seven. He has also split his goals evenly, with five coming in starting appearances and five more after entering from the bench.

Each of Tottenham's strikers has completed a full 90 minutes on four occasions, and Adebayor has started more games (nine) than either of his rivals. Kane, though, has made more appearances overall and, of course, scored more goals than both combined.

Kane has also played just 75 fewer minutes than Soldado or Adebayor. He is hardly being left out of the lineup especially often.

Instead, he is being given the perfect opportunity to grow into the role of senior striker.

The Europa League is treated with some disdain in England, but on the continent, it is seen as a serious competition. Kane is being tested against international-quality defenders and a wide variety of playing styles and conditions.

Kane is now the equal top scorer in Europe's secondary competition.

If Pochettino were to drop both of his senior strikers for Kane, it would be a huge and unnecessary gamble in his first season in charge.

Were he to do so, he would risk irreparably damaging his relationship with his senior strikers.

One of the unpleasant realities of Pochettino's job is that he manages the public arm of a private business. The owners would not look kindly on him if he were to upset the two international—and very well paid—strikers in favour of an unproven youngster.

And the fact is, Kane remains unproven. Last season, when Tim Sherwood threw him into the team, Kane was excellent. He played well, scored in three consecutive games and displayed a shocking maturity.

Kane gained invaluable experience, and his performances this season can be traced partly to that time in the first team.

Sherwood, though, had no pressure from the owners and no long-term plan to institute. He used that luxury to help Kane grow as a player.

Pochettino does not have that luxury and knows that Kane will remain a viable option in the latter stages of the season. He remains a trump card to be played.

Kane is thriving in his role as a starter in Europe and the domestic cups as well as a substitute in the Premier League. This 21-year-old striker continues to accrue confidence and experience while—mostly—winning games.

Kane is far too young for Spurs fans to be worrying about his immediate future. Instead, they should be thinking about the next 10 years.

Pochettino is holding him back from the league to help him learn his craft. Kane himself spoke with FourFourTwo's Joe Brewin about the specific drills that his manager is taking him through to improve his movement and finishing.

Soldado and Adebayor are ploughing the thankless furrow while Kane takes great strides.

One factor of Pochettino's tenure at Southampton that made him so attractive to Spurs in the summer was his ability to bring through young players. Clearly, the club thought that he knew what he was doing.

He is carefully cultivating Kane's career, and Spurs will reap the benefits.