"It was kind of the perfect opportunity" - England captain Harry Kane explains how Mourinho made him 'more than just a striker'
England captain Harry Kane has delved into life playing under Jose Mourinho and how his coaching methods helped transform his all-round game. The prolific Bayern Munich frontman spent 17 months playing under the Portuguese coach at Tottenham Hotspur.
Harry Kane, 30, told ESPN that Mourinho gave him more freedom, which helped him develop his game. He feels he was allowed to express himself more by dropping deep to get involved:
"I've always felt like I'm more than just a striker who has to wait for the ball the whole game. I feel like I can impact the game with my passing and getting into spaces. Jose allowed me and the other attacking players to be kind of a bit more free. There weren't too much structure in it."
Kane compared the freedom Mourinho gave him with his time playing under Mauricio Pochettino. He was viewed more as a center-forward than an all-round creator and goalscorer under the Argentine coach at Spurs:
"Maybe with Mauricio I was more of a number nine and people saw me as a number nine but when Jose came in he gave a bit more freedom with positioning and that allowed me to drop deep and build up a good connection with the attacking players like Sonny (Son Heung Min). It was kind of the perfect opportunity to do that with that coach."
Kane appeared 62 times under Mourinho, bagging 45 goals and 17 assists. England's all-time top scorer flourished working with the Portuguese coach until he was sacked in April 2021.
"I had a great relationship with Jose" - Harry Kane admits he was surprised when Mourinho was sacked
Tottenham parted ways with Mourinho just days before their Carabao Cup final on April 25, 2021. The decision took many by surprise because of the three-time Premier League-winning coach's proven final record.
Harry Kane was one of those who was surprised by the news and alluded to this at the time. He told Sky Sports that he had a great relationship with the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss:
"I was surprised, I'll be totally honest. I came in that morning and probably found out five to ten minutes before it was announced. I had a great relationship with Jose, I wish him all the best for whatever his next job is, but he knows as we know football can be cut-throat."
Mourinho has continuously waxed lyrical about Kane since departing Spurs. He recently suggested the English frontman would have a trophy to his name had he stayed (via Football Talk):
"The only thing he is missing is to win a trophy. He was my player at Tottenham, and I was going to win one with him, but I was sacked six days before the final."
Harry Kane joined Bayern last summer and enjoyed the statistically best season of his career. He posted 44 goals and 12 assists in 45 games across competitions but the Bavarians went trophyless for the first time since 2012.