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Jose Mourinho knew he could take Harry Kane even higher at Tottenham

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho was always confident he was the right man to get the very best out of England striker Harry Kane in the Premier League.

By Timothy Abraham
Mourinho and Kane

London, November 20: Jose Mourinho claimed he always knew he was right manager to get the best out of Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

Mourinho previously told Kane he would turn into a global superstar, and the England forward's numbers are starting to back that up.

Kane has been involved in 23 goals in just 14 games in all competitions this season (13 goals, 10 assists), at least eight more than any other Premier League player.

"I was never worried about it," Mourinho told Sky Sports.

"I knew the quality of the player, I knew I had a plan for a certain style of play. We discussed it a lot internally.

"I knew Harry wouldn’t have any problem in a team like ours, so for us it was never a question."

Mourinho is confident Kane will eventually surpass Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham's all-time leading goalscorer - Kane is 65 goals behind Greaves' tally of 266, but aged 27 has time on his side.

"He's a young guy. Of course, he will make it," Mourinho added.

"He has so many years to play so I don't think it's a problem. It’s just a question of time. When, is the only question."

Tottenham are now on the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League (seven – W5 D2) following their opening weekend defeat against Everton.

They are also looking to win four consecutive league games for the first time since February 2019 with Mourinho giving credit to more maturity from his players.

"I like the way my squad is growing up," Mourinho added.

"I like the way they reacted to the defeat against Everton and the 'defeat' against West Ham [where Spurs drew 3-3 having led 3-0].

"The way we are coping with the negative things. But I know it's also very important the way you cope with the big moments. I love the way my team behaved after the 6-1 at Old Trafford.

"I love the way the team behaved after being top of the league, even for a couple of hours. I love my group!"

Spurs host Manchester City on Saturday which pits Mourinho against one of his long-term managerial adversaries in Pep Guardiola.

This will be the 24th meeting in all competitions between the pair – Mourinho’s 10 defeats in these games is more than against any other manager, while Guardiola has only beaten Manuel Pellegrini more often (12).

However, Mourinho claimed there is no bitterness in their rivalry and warned his players to expect a much tougher game than when they beat City 2-0 last time out in February, which ended a run of six league games without a win against them.

"Not at all. I keep saying this, not at all," Mourinho said of claims he has a fractious relationship with Guardiola.

"I just want to get to 20 points after the match. I think they are more difficult now than before.

"When we last played them, Liverpool were champions, so playing for a few months knowing this, I can imagine they were missing that ambitious factor. Now is completely different."

Story first published: Friday, November 20, 2020, 17:25 [IST]
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