Jose Mourinho says Harry Kane will start for Tottenham Hotspur against Dinamo Zagreb in Europa League

Portuguese also urges England manager Southgate not to overplay striker during next round of international matches

Hugo Lloris - 6: Rarely called into action as Spurs’ back four did well to contain the threat of Zagreb. EPA

Serge Aurier - 6: After an early wobble that resulted in Zagreb threatening Spurs’ goal in the opening minutes, Aurier settled and did a good job of getting to the byline and delivering dangerous crosses. Reuters

Davinson Sanchez - 7: Most worrying moment came in the opening minute when Orsic threatened straight from kick-off, a situation that was dealt with well. Booked for a challenge to stop an attack that had potential, but otherwise did his job well. Reuters

Eric Dier - 7: Drew blood in the opening half after cutting his nose in a challenge but soldiered on. Closed down Zagreb’s players well on the rare occasion they did look to threaten. Getty

Ben Davies - 6: Broke down Zagreb attacks well. Best moment came a quarter-of-an-hour from time when he made a crucial tackle to stop a potentially dangerous attack. AFP

Moussa Sissoko - 8: Good passing out to both flanks that opened up channels in the middle for both Kane and Son. Patrolled all areas of the pitch well and was brilliant in his link-up play with Ndombele. Getty

Tanguy Ndombele - 8: Protected the ball well, which perhaps attracted physical challenges, and was unlucky not to win a penalty that bizarrely wasn’t referred to VAR. Reuters

Erik Lamela - 7: Wonderful play in the build up to Spurs’ first goal where he shimmied past several defenders before striking the far post. Did his best to make things happen without much reward. PA

Dele Alli - 6: Not his finest game. Looked a little rusty, though was involved in the build-up to one of Kane’s goals – albeit in a small capacity. Taken off as part of a triple change just after the hour mark. EPA

Son Heung-min - 8: Outstanding link-up play with Kane. The pair were constantly on the same wavelength. Taken off early, presumably to be rested. Reuters

Harry Kane - 9: More goals to add to his Spurs tally. Started and finished the move that led to the first goal. Another clinical finish for his second. Linked up well with Son, a very polished performance. Getty

SUBS: Gareth Bale - (On for Lamela 65') 7: Made immediate impact when almost his first touch set-up good chance for Moura. A dangerous dipping free-kick could’ve seen him on the scoresheet too. Reuters

Lucas Moura - (On for Alli 65') 6: Not the impact in front of goal he would have liked. Getty

Steven Bergwijn - (On for Son, 65) 6: Could have scored with his first touch of the game when his volley from Bale was well saved. Getty

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - (On for Ndombele, 72) 5: Sloppy play that could have caused Spurs a headache on different day. AP.

Carlos Vinicius - (On for Kane, 84). N/A. Reuters

TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Dominik Livakovic - 5: Clearances were a little unorthodox at times as he chose to punch and kick balls clear when it was easier to catch. Not at fault for the goals. EPA

Stefan Ristovski - 5: Was up against it for the game’s first hour when tasked with the challenge of keeping Son at bay on the left. Struggled to keep up with the Korean. EPA

Rasmus Lauritsen - 5: Played with passion and was clearly frustrated when Spurs took the lead. Tried to rally his teammates but Zagreb ultimately came up against a well-drilled home side. AP

Kevin Theophile-Catherine - 5: Some unconvincing clearances that invited Spurs to launch another attack following initial chances. Struggled with Spurs’ pressure throughout the 90 minutes. PA

Marin Leovac - 6: Used physical strength to his advantage by making Tottenham’s players work hard to keep pace with him. PA

Lovro Majer - 5: Not afraid to get stuck in and take the game to Spurs. But almost paid the ultimate price when committing a challenge on Ndombele in the penalty area that should have been reviewed by VAR. Played on the edge but it might well have prevented a goal or two. AP

Kristijan Jakic - 5: Strong player in midfield and used his size to try and bully Spurs’ midfielders off the ball, though this rarely worked. Looked like he might not even start the game after picking up a knock in the warm-up. Reuters

Arijan Ademi - 6: His exit late on will be of a concern to not only the club but also the Croatian national team and appeared in great discomfort when taken off. Otherwise, a committed performance, perhaps lacked a bit of support from those around him. AP

Luka Ivanusec - 5: A player capable of threatening goal, but struggled to do so here. Best chance of the game came midway through the opening half when he ballooned a shot over Lloris’ crossbar. Getty

Bruno Petkovic - 5: Could have been Zagreb’s hero, but fluffed a pair of half chances. One dipping first-half shot that had little power and was comfortably saved, before a better chance in the second half following Ivanusec’s great cross was struck wide. Reuters

Mislav Orsic - 5: Quiet evening. Rarely threatened Spurs’ goal. AFP

SUBS: Lirim Kastrati - (On for Majer 64') 6: Good experience for the youngster to get on but didn't make the impact he would have liked. AFP

Iyayi Atiemwen - (On for Orsic 64') 6: Tough ask to play natural game when you have the threat of Bale and Kane to deal with. Getty

Mario Gavranovic - (On for Petkovic 78') N/A. Bartol Franjic - (On for Ademi 90') N/A. Reuters

If Tottenham are to return to the Champions League, their route may lead through Zagreb. Defeat in Sunday's North London derby left them six points adrift of the Premier League's top four with 10 games to go and when their last 10 matches have produced just 12 points.

So the Europa League assumes a greater significance. Jose Mourinho is already without one of his potent double act, with the hamstring injury Son Heung-min sustained against Arsenal sidelining the South Korean, and is taking no chances as he guaranteed he will select the other.

Spurs take a 2-0 lead to Croatia, thanks to a Harry Kane brace, but Dinamo Zagreb should expect a reunion with Tottenham's 26-goal top scorer. It represents bad news for the underused Carlos Vinicius but Mourinho said: "Kane is going to play. The game is open and it's an important game so he plays."

Son represents a different issue. Mourinho said he is not sure when the winger will be fit to feature, and Tottenham visit Aston Villa on Sunday. Yet if he does not play then, his manager suggested he should not join up with his country for their friendly against Japan.

"If a player is injured, it doesn't matter if it's a friendly or an official match,” he said. “If we get to next week and he is injured and we can prove that to the Korean football association then what can they do. If he can't play for the club, he can't play for his country."

If it offers the possibility of one club-versus-country row, Mourinho is seeking to avoid another. Before the October international break, he sought to ensure that Gareth Southgate did not over-play Kane.

England face another triple-header and Mourinho hopes Kane’s minutes will be rationed without him needing to intervene. “I believe [Southgate] has a good relationship with Harry,” he said. “I hope that in between them, without me being in the middle saying something, they can find some compromise to protect the player a little bit."

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The Portuguese is the biggest contributor to Kane’s heavy workload, using him three times in Europa League qualifiers, four more in the group stages and 38 times in total this season.

Only Son and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and have made more appearances but neither will feature on Thursday with the Dane suspended. Defender Joe Rodon, who was not named in Spurs’ Europa League squad, is also ineligible but Giovani Lo Celso, who has not played in 2021, is back in contention to add to the attacking options.

“He is a very talented player with very competitive qualities,” Mourinho said. “I don't think he has 90 minutes in his legs but he's looked very confident.”

Spurs will be favourites to reach only their fifth European quarter-final in 29 years. While Dinamo beat Arsenal in 2015, Tottenham have not lost to Croatian opposition since 1984 and have not gone out of Europe after taking a 2-0 first-leg lead since 1963-64. But by selecting Kane, Mourinho is seeking to reduce the risk of history belatedly repeating itself.