Harry Kane in Line to Return from Ankle Injury vs. Stoke City

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has said striker Harry Kane could be named in the starting lineup for the game against Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Kane is recovering from an ankle injury suffered during Spurs' 4-1 victory over Bournemouth on March 11, but he made a swifter than expected recovery to play the final 20 minutes of their 3-1 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

"He is OK after playing nearly 20 minutes against Chelsea. This week was good, he is working hard," Pochettino said, per Alex Richards of the Mirror. "He's doing very good and of course the expectation is to score goals and you know him, he's so determined to help the team to achieve all that they want."

That determination means Kane, who is hoping to chase down Mohamed Salah in the goalscoring charts, could play from the start. Salah has scored 29 Premier League goals, while Kane is on 24.

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Although his prospects of featuring look good, Pochettino also stated that "we need to see him one training session more, today after the press conference," per Alasdair Gold of Football.London.

During his pre-match press conference, the Argentinian also spoke about the positive mood among his players after their win at Chelsea, the club's first at Stamford Bridge since 1990.

"Of course, we feel confidence and trust when you work in a good atmosphere because you are happy because you beat a very good opponent," he said. "But football doesn't exist in the past, only in the present, and if you don't prepare yourself to compete again, you can struggle."

Pochettino was also quizzed on the revelation this week that Daniel Levy was paid more than £6 million last year by the club, more than double the £2.84 million paid in 2015-16, per Jeremy Wilson for the Telegraph. 

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"It's not my point to talk," he said. "I don't know the reality. In the end, he is my boss, and I need to respect everything that my boss made and do."

Of more pressing concern is Spurs' trip to Stoke, who sit 19th in the table and are on a winless run of eight Premier League games. Despite this record, Pochettino is wary of the challenge having watched Paul Lambert's side hold Arsenal until the 75th minute last weekend.

"In the end, Arsenal won the game last week, but it was a very tough game," he added. "In the first half, they played so well. We are aware how they are going to play and we need to match them with the same level of motivation and aggression. It will be tough."

There is little doubt Stoke will put up a good fight on Saturday, but should Kane play from the start, the Spurs players, and fans, will be confident of a positive result.