Guardiola: It was a joy to work with City.. I can’t wait to see him again for
HARRY KANE cannot wait to lock horns with his England strike rival Marcus Rashford on Friday.
That is the day Kane and Rashford (above) should have been playing for the Three Lions at Wembley in Euro 2020.
But with the finals postponed, the two fit-again England stars will go head-to-head when Tottenham host Manchester United instead.
Neither player has featured in the Premier League since January, with Kane needing surgery on his hamstring and Rashford suffering back trouble.
Kane (left) said: “Marcus is a great player. We have spent a lot of time together with England and you can see the quality he has with the ball, his finishing and his all-round game.
“He’s a top player and I’m looking forward to the match. I’m not sure we will be able to have a chat afterwards with all the rules in place, but next time we meet I’m sure we’ll have a catch-up.
“From a hamstring point of view, I’m good. It’s been great to be able to give it a little more rest. I’ve not played a competitive game for nearly six months now – it’s been a long, long time. But I’m back to normal, fully fit.” ■ The official print version of Friday’s Tottenham v Manchester United behind-closed-doors matchday programme is available to order from reachsport.com. A digital edition will be available on matchday also, see tottenhamhotspur.com for details.
MASON HOLGATE admits struggling for a first-team place during his early days at Everton transformed him into a better player.
Holgate, 23, signed a new five-year contract in March after becoming a regular under boss Carlo Ancelotti.
The defender (above) moved to Everton from Barnsley in 2015, but only played six games for the Blues last term and spent the second-half of the season on loan at West Brom.
But he has become a mainstay this campaign and said: “My early years at Everton were hard as I’d come in for a few games, play well, drop off for a game, then I was out of the team.
“The loan taught me how to play every week. Now, if I’ve had a game where I’ve not done well, I just try to put it right next time.”
Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes is set to be fit for Everton’s clash with Liverpool on Sunday.
Gomes picked up a minor knock in training, but Ancelotti said: “Andre is training and no problem for Sunday.”
FOR a stadium wrapped in a bio-secure cocoon, there will be no shortage of emotion at the Etihad Stadium tonight. When the final elbow has been bumped and whatever the result, Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta will retreat at a social distance and have an emotional reunion over a glass of wine. Arteta was Guardiola’s trusted lieutenant for more than three years at Manchester City and the two have been through tough times since the start of lockdown. Guardiola was worried about his friend when Arteta contracted Covid-19 back in March and then, tragically, Pep lost his mother to the virus. It will be a poignant meeting for the pair when the game is over. “He is one of the nicest people I have ever met,” said Guardiola of the Arsenal boss. “It was a joy to work with him and I am so excited to see him again. “He was an incredibly important part of the success here over the past years. He helped us to be who we are.”
And Guardiola knows Arteta will be aware of his former mentor’s tactical tweaks, saying: “He knows absolutely everything about us and we are the same now as when he was here. This game belongs to the players. It is their responsibility to say, ‘We are here’.”
Guardiola and Arteta (right) keep in touch on a regular basis and exchanged texts on the eve of the match.
“We sent a message an hour-and-a-half ago,” Guardiola smiled. “It was about the wine we will drink after the game if social distance allows.”
English football went into lockdown after Arteta tested positive ahead of the original date for Arsenal’s visit to the Etihad, which will be the second game of Project Restart.
“We spoke and I was worried for him,” said Guardiola, who will have his new assistant Juan Manuel Lillo alongside him in the dugout for the game. “But after a week or 10 days, he recovered well.” Sadly, Guardiola’s mother (inset, right) became a victim and it is clear the pandemic has had a profound effect on him. While the City manager promised he and his team would go about the resumption with their standard highenergy commitment, it is clear he has reservations –