Les Ferdinand opened up about a phone call with Harry Kane while the player was struggling on loan at Leicester.
Kane is without a doubt the greatest English striker of his generation and has been among the best forwards in the world over the past decade.
The 30-year-old is both England and Tottenham’s record goalscorer, while he has scored some 31 goals in his first 26 Bundesliga games after completing a summer move to Bayern Munich.
However, Kane was famously not always tipped for greatness, having endured several underwhelming loans at the likes of Norwich, Leicester and Millwall.
Advert
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, courtesy of Sky Bet, Premier League legend Ferdinand revealed a piece of advice he gave Kane to get supporters on his side when he was on loan at Leicester.
Ferdinand said: “He went off to Leicester. When you watch Harry Kane jog, he’s not easy on the eye when he jogs. I remember going to Leicester and the crowd were giving him a bit of stick because when he lost the ball jogging back it looked like he was gasping for air.
“I remember calling him after a game at Leicester and said to him, ‘Look, when you’re going back do me one favour. Either sprint or walk. Don’t jog because it looks horrible.’
“They fired him back. He came back to the training ground, I’ll always remember it. Something had clicked inside him, and he realised whatever he was doing wasn’t enough.
“So he became the first player into the training ground, and when everybody had gone in the afternoon he was in the gym to get his weight down to get himself back into shape. And when Tim [Sherwood] took over as manager he was chomping at the bit to get into the side.”
Elsewhere, Ferdinand said: “When we had him at Tottenham coming through, I remember looking at him. When I first went to Tottenham I remember he had the intelligence of a Teddy Sheringham. He wasn’t quick so he always played as that No.10 or No.8.
“Under Chris Ramsey when he was coming through the ranks, Chris would play him as a 7, as an 11, as an 8, so he could understand all the different positions. So he had the intelligence to know that he wasn’t going to go in behind.
“I said to Tim and Chris he has the shooting capability of Alan Shearer, but he’s got the intelligence of Teddy Sheringham.
“But, I’m going to be honest, none of us saw him [getting to] where he is today. We knew he would have a career, but didn’t know if it would be in the Premier League.”
Another call between Ferdinand and then Norwich manager Chris Hughton also helped Tottenham clarify what position Kane was best suited to.
“I always remember him going to Norwich when Chris Hughton was there,” Ferdinand continued. “He came back [as] unfortunately he had broken his leg.
“I remember calling Chris and saying, ‘How’s it gone? I’ve been to watch him a few times. What do you think?’ Hughton went, ‘Well he’s not a No.9 in the sense of a Les Ferdinand and he’s not a No.10 in the sense of a Teddy Sheringham. I think he’s a 9 and a half.’”
Topics: Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Premier League, Football, England
Chris Byfield