Pochettino: Positive Kane focused on recovery

Mauricio Pochettino is confident Tottenham striker Harry Kane will return from his ankle injury on schedule.

Harry Kane has a positive outlook on his ankle injury and Mauricio Pochettino is confident the Tottenham striker will return before the end of the season.

Kane was diagnosed with lateral ligament damage in his right ankle on Wednesday after a challenge with Asmir Begovic during last weekend's clash with Bournemouth.

The England international limped out of that match at the Vitality Stadium after 34 minutes, Spurs going on to win the game 4-1 thanks to a brace from Son Heung-min.

Kane is expected to return to training next month, and Pochettino is confident that timescale will be met.

"He [Kane] is very positive. He was positive after the game," Pochettino told a media conference. 

"He is always positive and he is focused on recovering as soon as possible."

When asked if that will be this season, the Argentine added: "Yes, of course. His focus and our focus is to help him recover as soon as possible."

How Spurs will cope without their star striker as they battle for a top-four place in the Premier League remains to be seen, but Pochettino is sure his squad can cope.

"We are talking about one of the best strikers in the world, you cannot compare [him] with the others [in the squad]," said the Tottenham boss. 

"Of course, we have different characteristics in the team. For me, it is always about the collective skill and effort to win or lose the games. Of course we are going to miss Harry because it is obvious he is one of the best. 

"But we are calm and relaxed because we have enough quality to play and win games. It is no excuse now that Harry is out for a few weeks to not have the same mentality and try to win the games.

"We have different players that can play in that position; Dele Alli, Son Heung-min, Fernando Llorente, Erik Lamela [and] Lucas Moura. 

"For me, who is in that position is not as important as how you are going to use the space and try to overcome the tactics of the opponents, but we have enough quality and different alternatives and now I have to pick who is best for every single game while Harry is out injured."