Kane in Tottenham squad for north London derby; Alderweireld out

Harry Kane's lengthy injury absence has reached a merciful end, with Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino announcing the 23-year-old striker will be available for selection in Sunday's north London derby after nearly two months out.

Defender Toby Alderweireld, who's nursing a knee problem, won't recover in time for the heated contest at Arsenal.

Pochettino admitted earlier in the week that Kane's chances of starting at the Emirates are slim, but his presence in the squad is undoubtedly welcome progress. Spurs have struggled since he went down with an ankle injury in the Sept. 18 fixture against Sunderland, failing to win any of the past six matches across all competitions.

Kane returned to full training Thursday, and whether he earns minutes Sunday will likely affect England manager Gareth Southgate's selections ahead of a pair of international matches.

Eager to get any positive sign from Kane, Southgate could wait until the end of the weekend to announce his squad for the World Cup qualifier against Scotland and friendly against Spain.

The more pressing matter is the derby, which could put significant distance between rivals Arsenal and Tottenham. A win for the Gunners would extend their lead over Spurs to six points.

Aside from Alderweireld, both Mousa Dembele and Erik Lamela could also miss the game with their own injury concern. Summer signing Moussa Sissoko still has to serve the final match of his suspension.