Harry Kane is on a ‘collision course’ with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, insists Gary Neville and claims there must be a ‘massive reason’ for the England captain’s no-show at training as he bids to force Man City move
- Harry Kane has failed to show up at Tottenham for training twice this week
- The England captain wants to leave this summer amid interest from Man City
- Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville feels there is a ‘collision course’ with the club
- He urged Kane to return but feels there is a big reason for him to miss training
Gary Neville fears Harry Kane is now on a ‘collision course’ with Tottenham after the England captain failed to turn up at training for a second day in a row.
Kane – who has just returned from a holiday in the Carribbean and faces a period of isolation – is determined to leave his boyhood club this summer, with Manchester City keen and already having a £100million bid snubbed.
The 28-year-old’s future at his boyhood club has been shrouded in doubt ever since the end of last season, when – during an interview with Neville himself – he admitted he hopes to have an ‘honest conversation’ with chairman Daniel Levy about his future, and that he would love to play with City star Kevin de Bruyne.
Harry Kane is on collision course with Tottenham, according to pundit Gary Neville (R)
He has failed to turn up to training, with chairman Daniel Levy digging his heels in over an exit
Kane’s stock has risen considerably over the summer having led England to the Euro 2020 final against Italy, and he has made clear his desire to play at the highest level and challenge for ‘team trophies’ – speaking out about his disappointment with Tottenham’s failure to do so after losing to City in the Carabao Cup final in April.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville – who coached Kane during his stint with the England team – admitted there was no excuse for Kane to miss training and urged him to return, but conceded that there had to be a ‘massive reason’ for him to do so because he was such a model professional.
‘If Harry Kane was meant to report to pre-season training with Tottenham on Monday, then he should’ve come back,’ he said. ‘You can never advocate any player not turning up for training – it’s as simple as that.
‘You’ve got to turn up and you’ve got to do your job. However, I’ve worked with Harry and I can’t think of a more professional footballer that I’ve ever seen.
Neville urged Kane – who has just been on holiday in the Carribbean – to return to the club
The striker told the Sky Sports pundit of his desire to have an ‘honest conversation’ with Levy about his future in a candid interview earlier this summer
‘He does everything right, so he must be seriously annoyed. Something has happened badly that has made him do that.
‘It still doesn’t excuse it for me. He should still have come into training, and you respect your team-mates. You still have to go and stand with them and sit in the dressing-room, but it’s clear now that there’s a collision course.’
Neville’s Sky colleague Jamie Carragher has already condemned Kane for skipping training and said he was ‘ruining his name at Spurs’, and the former Manchester United defender agreed that Kane has a duty as a leader to head back to Spurs and lead by example.
He also feels one of the key factors in Kane’s decision could be Levy backtracking on a gentleman’s agreement. Sportsmail understands the forward believes he has such a verbal deal with the chairman, but the Spurs supremo will not let him go for any fee less than £150m.
‘If a compromise can’t be reached then it could get a little bit messy for a few weeks as Harry clearly wants to leave,’ Neville added. ‘There’s no doubt about that it’s now there for everyone to see.
There must be a ‘massive reason’ for Kane’s training no-show, insists Neville, who believes Levy (R) may have backed out of a gentleman’s agreement
‘He had to turn up at training, but there must be a massive reason behind the scenes for him not to have. It all depends on what’s been agreed but I can only imagine Harry feels that agreement has been backed out of from Tottenham’s side.
‘He wouldn’t do this unless there was something significantly wrong behind the scenes. It’s a big call to have to make [refusing to turn up to training]. For the England captain to not turn up at his club, it doesn’t get any bigger.
‘Harry’s now got to get back in quickly and get running around that pitch with his team-mates. As much as he might want to leave, and as much as he may feel hard done by, and as much as he’s annoyed with the guy making the decisions, he’s got to get back to his team-mates.
‘They’re professional players who look up to him. He’s a massive icon at that club and in this country, so I feel he’ll have to get back into the group very quickly.’