KANE IS VANTASTIC
(But when I first met him, he couldn’t kick a ******* ball... now Harry’s up there with very best like Lewandowski
RAFAEL VAN DER VAART rates Harry Kane alongside Robert Lewandowski as the best striker in football. Which is not something he expected to say after witnessing first hand Kane’s introduction to first-team training during his days at Tottenham. According to the Dutchman, Kane could not trap a bag of cement and had a stinker that day. And so unimpressed was Van der Vaart with the kid so many people at Spurs had been raving about that he turned to goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes and told him, “He can’t kick a **** ing ball”. Now, though, he is so pleased his old team-mate has proved him wrong and shown the world exactly what he is
capable of. Van der Vaart (left) said: “It’s a really funny story. When Harr y first came to train with us at Spurs he was only 18. When the ball was passed to him, every time I could not believe how he tried to control it.
“I swear, I said to my-then team-mate Gomes, ‘He can’t kick a **** ing ball’. But now he is up there with Lewandowski, who is regarded by everyone as the most deadly striker in the world. Kane is right up there.
“He is an absolute guarantee for goals for both England and Tottenham Hotspur.’’
What did impress Van der Vaart was the attitude and desire to improve Kane showed back then and it is that work rate that has helped to propel him to his current level.
He added: “Kane has become the big man at Spurs. He is a massive goalscorer and it is great to see him do so well.’’
Kane struck two goals in two games for England during the last international break. And during that time the debate reignited about whether or not he should stay at Tottenham or move on in search of the major honours that could well elude him otherwise.
Former Manchester United skipper Roy Keane was one of those voicing the opinion that he has to go. And Van der Vaart said: “Keane is right.
“In one way, you would almost tell Kane, ‘Go to a club where you can win things – maybe Manchester United’. But one thing Kane must not do is go abroad.
“He is a classic Premier League striker. He must stay in England. I have seen British players move to Real Madrid and they struggled to adapt or be successful.”
Telling Kane to go won’t impress Van der Vaart’s admirers at Spurs, but he added: “Financially, there’s no need for Kane to move. At Tottenham he is earning an absolute bomb, so no reason to leave.”