TIM SHERWOOD is fed up with mega-rich Premier League footballers “getting their arses wiped” for them – but says his old Tottenham prodigy Harry Kane is very much the exception to the rule.
The former Spurs boss worked with the England captain and model pro during his short spell in charge at N17, as the striker rose through the ranks to become a first-team regular and one of the world’s greatest strikers.
Tim Sherwood salutes a young Harry Kane when in charge of SpursCredit: Rex Features
In an interview with his former Blackburn team-mate Chris Sutton in today’s Mail, Sherwood replied to the striker’s questioning of the way young players get handed everything on a plate in modern football.
Sherwood said: “They get their a***s wiped for them. The opposite of this for me is Harry Kane.
“He would play the same way for £1 a week. He would never waste one day on the training field.
“I would take attitude over ability all day. If you can marry the two up, then you’ve got a serious footballer. I hate it when I hear pundits talking about ‘natural talent’. There’s no such thing.”
Sherwood gave Kane his Tottenham debut after taking over as caretaker boss in December 2013 when Andre Villa Boas was fired.
And Sherwood reckons Kane will take his time to decide whether to quit Spurs after indicating earlier this year he could move on despite Jose Mourinho’s appointment.
The ex-Aston Villa chief said: “It’s like Alan Shearer. He finishes fourth with Blackburn (in 1992-93), then second (in 1993-94).
Harry needs to assess this himself. I would wait to see what they do in the summer.
“Manchester United are all over him. But he decides to stay, because he believes we have the quality to win it, and we did the next season.
“Harry needs to assess this himself. I would wait to see what they do in the summer.
“They’ve got a manager who has not gone there to only finish inside the top four.
“Harry will know very soon if the club are willing to spend that money to give themselves that opportunity of winning the league.”
Kane had scored goals in loan spells at Leicester, Norwich and Leyton Orient.
But his career really took off after Sherwood gave him his chance.
He grabbed four goals in 19 appearances during that second half of the 2013/14 season.
Kane is now closing in on 200 goals for Spurs in all competitions and has been linked with a move to Manchester United.
Despite a bright start at White Hart Lane, Sherwood admits he quickly realised he was not going to get the opportunity that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was given at Manchester United.
The club had already set their sights on Mauricio Pochettino, who would spend five years at the club, taking them to the Champions League final last season.
Sherwood added: “I knew the job. I knew the script. I knew he was ready to come in and they needed someone in the meantime.
“It would’ve been different if I didn’t know. Perhaps I would’ve liked that opportunity, like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United. But I knew it wasn’t my job.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
