LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino says Harry Kane will not be involved in Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen but he refused to rule out a return for the striker in Sunday's North London derby.
Pochettino also said he would not stop Kane, who has not played since suffering ankle ligament damage against Sunderland on Sept. 18, joining the England squad, if he faces the Gunners.
The striker trained with the squad on Tuesday, while Toby Alderweireld -- missing for the last four matches with nerve damage to his right leg -- underwent running drills alone, and is unlikely to face Leverkusen or Arsenal.
"Tomorrow he [Kane] will not be on the bench, no," Pochettino told a news conference. "It was good for him to be involved in the warm-up with the team and some exercises but tomorrow no -- he is not ready.
"Yesterday he was involved too with some drills. Today he increased his participation. With the team tomorrow and after tomorrow we expect to him to complete a whole session. He's a top striker, one of best striker in Europe. Harry is close to being back and it's important for the team."
�� @HKane and Sonny enjoyed a moment in training today... �� #COYS pic.twitter.com/piy7MOCgV7
- Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 1, 2016
Asked if Kane could play at Emirates Stadium, Pochettino said: "Maybe, maybe. He made half the training sessions with the team and then it was a specific training session for him, and for Toby the same.
"We expect Harry [to resume full training] maybe on Thursday. Toby, we're not sure. He has another problem."
Gareth Southgate will name his England squad for the Nov. 15 friendly against Scotland and Spain on Sunday evening and Pochettino says he will not intervene if Kane plays against Arsenal and is picked for the national team.
"If he's available to play on Sunday against Arsenal, it's difficult for us to stop him if the national team calls him. If Harry will be available, that's because he's available to play and we cannot stop that. It's the manager's imperative if he wants to pick him or not.
"We are pro the national team, for all the players. If Harry is available, we are not stupid and will not say Harry is out. We want the best for the team and the player.
"It's true, it's more sense for the national team to say 'stay at home, train with Tottenham for two weeks, it's important to build your fitness and be better afterwards.' But if they consider they need Harry to play, and he's available against Arsenal, we cannot stop it."
Asked if he would call Southgate to request that Kane is not picked, Pochettino replied: "No, never. If he calls and asks me, OK I will give my opinion and my advice but it's his job to recognise every single situation about the player, not only with Harry but with the whole squad. He must decide if it would be good for Harry to be involved in the international duty with the national team or not. We cannot say anything. Only if he asks me I will give my opinion. If not, no.
"A good example for you is Danny Rose. He was available to play against Manchester City after his injury with the national team, and then they used him against Malta and Slovenia he played nearly two whole games for the national team. We cannot manage that, we can advise but they can use the player. It's not in our hands to manage them for the national team."
Erik Lamela, who missed the 1-1 draw against Leicester through illness, is unlikely to play against Leverkusen after suffering a minor hip injury in training, while the Germans' influential captain Lars Bender has not travelled.