JOSE TIPS KANE TO GET EVEN BETTER WITH AGE
JOSE MOURINHO has claimed Harry Kane can get even better with age.
Tottenham striker Kane, 27, goes into the north London derby in red-hot form with 26 goals in all competitions and 16 assists.
Mourinho has worked with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Karim Benzema during his career and the legendary strikers are both enjoying success into their thirties.
The Spurs boss believes Kane’s all-round game can get even better as the England captain has become more efficient at laying on chances for team-mates.
Mourinho (with Kane and Heung-min Son, above) said: “When a striker is the kind of goalscorer who can only play in that position, it’s more difficult because, when they lose that intensity of the younger people, they have nothing.
“But the kind of players like Harry, I think they get better with time, with experience, with understanding of the game.
“At this moment, you see Harry and Benzema, who’s 33 now, this kind of striker. They’re very intelligent, so they can drop back and assist, transform their game.
“Later in their career, instead of being the No.9 target, they become a nineand-a-half, between a nine and a 10. And they can play football until they want.”
Ibrahimovic (top), 39, will go down as one of the all-time greats after huge success at Barcelona, AC Milan, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain. Benzema (above) has also won a host of trophies with Real Madrid, while Kane has yet to win any silverware, despite his individual records as a Golden Boot winner.
But Mourinho insists Kane has the same level of ambition to be as successful in the future as other great strikers he has worked with.
The Portuguese added: “I’ve been lucky enough to work with players with great ambitions. It’s not possible to have a career like mine without players with ambition.
“He has that, no doubt. No doubt that of course Harry wants to win matches, score goals, win trophies.
“Totally committed with the club, totally committed with the national team He’s a very good example of a top professional. And a top player.”