Pochettino backs 'natural leader' Kane to step up at Spurs

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino is backing Harry Kane to step in as a 'natural leader' at the North London club in the absence of captain Huge Lloris.

Lloris, who also leads the France national team, suffered an arm injury a fortnight ago against Brighton and is expected to be sidelined until the new year.

Spurs have had a difficult month, having been eliminated by Colchester United in the League Cup, before heavy defeats to Bayern Munich in Europe and the Seagulls before the international break.

But Pochettino is backing Kane, who has captained England for the past two years, to step in and fill the void left by Lloris seamlessly.

"He does not need to feel too much pressure. The most important thing is to not show too much responsibility on your shoulders and to act natural," he said.

"The problem is if you need to act. If you are not a real leader and you need to act, you spend energy thinking 'how do I need to face this problem?'

"But if you trust in yourself and you are a natural leader, then I promise you don't feel the responsibility."

Spurs host Watford on Saturday afternoon as they look to improve a recent run of just one win in six games in all competitions.