Graeme Souness has furiously slammed Harry Kane's 'weak' and 'media-trained' interview ahead of Tottenham's crunch Premier League clash against Liverpool.
Spurs have won just one of their last five league games and appear destined to finish outside of the Champions League places.
That includes a massive 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle United, who raced into a five-goal lead inside 20 minutes.
Kane has since reflected on the crushing defeat at St. James' Park, calling it a 'tough' experience.
Advert
Asked if he's had a harder period in his career, he told Sky Sports: "I don't know. There's been a lot of ups and downs in my career but it was tough, you know. To be 5-0 down 20 minutes into a game is.
"It's one of the worst I've felt on a pitch in that moment," he added. "All you can do is keep fighting and trying to find a way to improve.
"I think leading up to the Manchester United game people can talk about a lot of things, like tactics, formations and how we're going to play but ultimately it comes down to just having a bit of fight and character."
The England captain also admitted Spurs have lost some of the 'values' which made them competitive under Mauricio Pochettino.
"They are conversations that need to be had toward the end of the season." he said. "I feel like we lost a bit of what the values are at this club over the last few years. It's about finding a way to get back on the same page again and obviously even with the fans as well."
However, Kane's interview has not gone down well with Souness, who took aim at the 29-year-old's 'media-trained' answers during the interview.
The Liverpool legend accused him of knowing what questions were coming and ruthlessly branded the interview 'weak' in a damning assessment.
"It's not a light switch, you can't flick it on and off," he fumed. "Harry came across there as if he'd been media-trained. He knew what questions were coming and he knew how to answer them.
"Maybe he consulted someone in PR at Spurs. I know I'm a certain age and from a different generation but I find that so weak."
Former Spurs players Robbie Keane and Jamie Redknapp, though, jumped to Kane's defence as they defended his commitment to the club.
What's your take? Let us know.
Topics: Graeme Souness, Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur, Football
Nasir Jabbar