(Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane will not be rested with a busy run of Premier League fixtures on the horizon, manager Jose Mourinho has said.
The England skipper did not play in the 3-1 Champions League loss at Bayern Munich in midweek, but Mourinho said the 26-year-old's importance to the team and the lack of experience of teenage striker Troy Parrott made it impossible to rest Kane any more.
Tottenham, who are sixth in the league, visit Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday before matches against Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Norwich City this month.
"Am I going to give him (Kane) a rest on December 26 as we have a match after two days? No, I'm not going to give (Kane) a rest. There are matches and matches," Mourinho told reporters.
"The Munich match was one of these ones when the result was secondary, but when the result is fundamental... number nine is Harry and Troy Parrott.
"Parrott is a 17-year-old boy that played five minutes in the Premier League... He needs more time to develop and so, yes, Harry is fundamental for us."
Giovani Lo Celso, who joined Spurs in the close season from Real Betis but has struggled with injuries, made his first start under Mourinho at Bayern but failed to fire on all cylinders.
Mourinho said the Argentine midfielder would get more opportunities but would not start against Wolves.
"Our squad's not big in numbers and he'll start for sure because it's impossible to play all the time with the same players," Mourinho added.
"It looks obvious the way Dele (Alli) is playing, Son Heung-min... In this moment they're one step ahead.
"So you want to be objective and ask if he starts on Sunday - no he doesn't."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
