Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo said on Friday that he was pleased with how the club had handled the recent speculation over the future of Harry Kane after the striker confirmed this week he would be staying at the club.
England captain Kane was linked with a move to Manchester City but the transfer never materialised and Kane confirmed on Wednesday that he would stay at Spurs.
"I think we've been able to deal well with outside things that you cannot control (and with) the situation and the press and the rumours and the expectations," Nuno told reporters ahead of Tottenham's home match against Watford on Sunday.
"We have been able to deal pretty well with the situation (by) creating a shield that protects us, realising that there's some things that we cannot control."
Kane scored twice in Tottenham's 3-0 playoff win over Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday, which secured a place in the group stage of UEFA's inaugural Europa Conference League competition, and Nuno said he was in regular contact with his captain.
"We speak on a daily basis," the manager added. "The message is (the same) for everyone. Let's get ready to help the team."
Watford were relegated at the end of 2020 after five consecutive seasons in the top flight before earning promotion last season and Nuno said he expected a tough match.
"All of us know Watford pretty well and they've been able to keep the core of the squad and they have good players, a manager that has new ideas. We see Watford as a tough opponent," he added.
"We have a lot of material to analyse, even from the previous season in the Championship. The players are basically the same and the attitude of the team is clear. They are very competitive."
Spurs have won their first two Premier League games of the season while Watford have a win and a defeat so far.
(Reporting by Anuron Kumar Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
