Leicester coach Brendan Rodgers praises Harry Kane’s work in deeper role for Tottenham

England captain has nine goals and 10 assists in the Premier League so far this season

In association with

Andy Sims

Friday 18 December 2020 11:58 EST

Comments

(Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I)

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Brendan Rodgers believes Jose Mourinho has added another string to Harry Kane's bow by playing the striker in a deeper role.

Some observers believe Kane's scoring prowess has been diluted by dropping back, while Michael Owen recently suggested the England captain must find it "frustrating".

Playing the country's premier goalscorer as more of an attacking midfielder seems a bold move by Mourinho, but Leicester boss Rodgers insisted: "I don't think it is.

"I think if you look through the game, you look at Roberto Firmino, he does a similar role for Liverpool. Lionel Messi did it for Barcelona. Other players have done it all through time.

"You're not seeing something being taken away from Harry's game. You're seeing something that's been added to his game.

"He's clearly a wonderful goalscorer with great ability, finishing in and around 25 or 30 yards out.

"But what you're now seeing also is the ability of a player to drop underneath, and make passes like a midfield player.

"So I don't think anything has been taken away from his game. I think Jose has asked him to drop that little bit deeper and I think it's his natural intelligence.

"In Harry you can see he's a wonderful player, he's got a great football brain. You see him dropping underneath and having that ability to make those passes.

"So it's an addition to how they play rather than something taken away from them."

Rodgers can counter Kane's threat on Sunday by welcoming back Jonny Evans – from suspension – and fit-again Timothy Castagne.

The Belgian full-back had been one of City's most impressive performers until he suffered a hamstring injury two months ago.

Rodgers said: "He's got great energy and can run in behind. He gives us a good profile in terms of defending set-pieces. He'll be a huge plus.

"When he's defending he really gets in contention with people. From a set-piece perspective, he's a good size so he can defend the box well.

"On the attacking side, he's so good at penetrating without the ball. He wants to get up there and score goals. It definitely improves our squad."

This weekend get a £10 free bet with Betfair, when you bet £10 on a Same Game Multi on the Premier League. Terms: Min £10 Same Game Multi bet on any EPL match this Fri - Sun. Free bet valid for 72 hours, awarded at bet settlement. Excludes cashed out bets. T&Cs apply.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies