Benitez: Starting Kane is a risk

Mauricio Pochettino would be taking a risk if he decided to start Harry Kane in the Champions League final, says Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez.

Kane has been out since suffering an ankle injury in the quarter-final first-leg win over Manchester City last month, but has returned to training ahead of the final against Liverpool on Saturday.

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In his absence, Lucas Moura scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against Ajax to drag Spurs from 3-0 down on aggregate to a place in the final on away goals.

When asked about starting Kane in Madrid, Benitez said: “That is the main question, whether you play him coming back from injury or not.

“The only one who can make the right decision is Pochettino, because he knows the player and he has been watching training.

“The player will say ‘yes, I am fine’, because he will be desperate to play the final. So he has to talk with the medical staff and decide.

“If you are asking me ‘what would you do?’ I cannot give you any answer because I haven’t seen the player. It is a big decision.

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“They were doing so well and the players up front are so dynamic, to change that and put a player who is maybe not fully fit is a risk. We have to wait and see how confident Pochettino is with the fitness of Harry Kane.”

While Benitez believes Spurs should be cautious over the fitness of Kane, Edgar Davids feels the striker could still make the difference even if he is not fully fit.