Kane’s causing Tammy ache
TAMMY ABRAHAM is living the dolce vita - but the Roma striker admits he has got the toughest job in football when it comes to competing with Harry Kane.
Abraham (above) credits the 27 goals he scored in his debut season in Italy to being in a good place both on and off the pitch – and his bid to win a place in England’s squad for the World Cup appears to have been timed to perfection.
But the 24-year-old accepts that a fit and firing Kane will always be Gareth Southgate’s No.1 choice to lead his line.
“I’ve always said to everyone that asks me about Harry Kane that, for me, he’s probably the best striker in the world,” said Abraham, who ended the season helping Roma win the inaugural Europa Conference League (below).
“Harry has really worked on himself. He has had a journey that’s been a little bit different to mine, but he’s also gone through the loans, good and bad, and he is who he is today because of that journey.
“For me, it’s about whenever you get the opportunity, to just try and grab it with two hands and just show what you are really made of. For every player, that’s the mentality you’re supposed to have – to be positive.
“I went from a position (at Chelsea), where I was starting and playing games to a position where I was second choice or third choice. At the end of the day, we won the Champions
League but
I wasn’t the one to score. I wasn’t even on the pitch.
“You learn that sometimes you have to accept these moments and that it’s not always going to be you.
“It’s going to be someone else from your team, so it’s about supporting and helping as much as possible.
“For me, whoever scores at the World Cup I’ll be buzzing for.
‘If it’s not me and it’s Harry Kane, I’m celebrating the same, like it is me.
“That’s the kind of team we have here. Everyone’s happy for each other. Everyone wants everyone to be successful.”
Abraham joined Chelsea at the age of eight and progressed through the youth ranks before going on loan to Bristol City, Swansea and Aston Villa to learn his trade at senior level.
He made his England debut in the draw with Germany at Wembley in November 2017.
And five years on, he feels that the £34million move to Roma last summer has improved him both on and off the field.
Abraham said: “Everyone’s journey is different in life and in football.
“I look back on the loans and now playing in Italy and they are all great experiences that I’ll treasure when I finish my career.
“Rome has been great. I had never even been there on holiday before, but on and off the pitch, life has been good. I had lived in London my whole life, so it’s nice to embrace something different – and I am learning new things every day.
“I dedicated my mind towards learning a different language while I was away because it’s something you can take with you throughout your life. A lot of people questioned the move, but for me it was about going out there to prove myself again, to shine, to spread my wings.
“That’s what I’ve been doing.
“I always want to prove people wrong.”