Gary Neville sends message to Harry Kane as striker misses Tottenham training

Gary Neville has called on Harry Kane to show ‘respect’ for his team-mates and return to Tottenham pre-season training as ‘quickly’ as possible, regardless of what has happened behind the scenes with club chairman Daniel Levy.

Kane, 28, intimated his desire to leave Spurs for the first time back in May and Manchester City have stepped up their bid to complete a deal in the weeks that have followed, despite the striker having three years remaining on his current contract in north London.

The England captain was due to report for duty at Tottenham’s training ground this week for scheduled Covid-19 and pre-season testing, but was nowhere to be seen on either Monday or Tuesday at Hotspur Way.

It was initially claimed that Spurs were ‘disappointed’ with Kane’s behaviour and planned to fine their talisman, who finished last season with both the most goals and most assists in the Premier League.

Subsequent reports indicate that Kane will rejoin his team-mates this weekend as he observes a mandatory period of isolation after returning from his break in the Bahamas, with Tottenham and Levy said to be aware of the forward’s plans.

‘He does everything right so he must be seriously annoyed. Something has happened badly that has made him do that,’ Neville told Sky Sports when asked about Kane’s absence from training.

‘It still doesn’t excuse it. You still come in, respect your team-mates, still go and stand with them and sit in the dressing room but there’s a collision course.

‘There was a collision course already. It was coming at the end of last season when Harry obviously felt something was happening and he’s taking Daniel Levy on. Not many do it, not many come out of it the other side.

‘It’ll be interesting to see what club’s involved. It looks like City. City make the bid, they’ve obviously talked about the number. The number is not enough, Harry thinks it’s enough, Daniel doesn’t think it’s enough…

‘Whether they can come to a compromise together and hopefully they can… If they can’t then it’s going to be a bit messy for a few weeks because Harry wants to leave. There’s no doubt about that. You can see that now and it was there for everyone to see a few months ago.

‘I can see why. He wants to go and win those trophies, challenge for league titles. Tottenham, are they going to do that? Probably not in these next two or three years. They haven’t done for the last 20-30 years, barring one or two.

‘He had to turn up but there must be a massive issue behind the scenes for him not to because he’s the most professional football player that I could ever imagine and he wouldn’t do a thing wrong.’

Neville feels it’s Kane’s duty as a professional to return to training as soon as he can, even if Tottenham have gone back on a promise they once made which would have allowed him to leave this summer.

‘I can only think that Harry thinks that there’s an agreement that’s been backed out on, something’s happened. That’s the only thing I can think, that he wouldn’t do this unless they’ve significantly wronged behind the scenes,’ the ex-Manchester United and England right-back added.

‘It’s a big call to have to make. I think Andrei Kanchelskis might have done it a little bit at United 15 or 16 years ago where he was being a little awkward at the start of a pre-season but I can’t think of any other time in my time at United where a player hasn’t turned up so it’s a massive situation.

‘For the England captain not to turn up to his club, it doesn’t get any bigger. But you have to turn up. You have to respect your team-mates. Your team-mates are in that dressing room in pre-season.

‘So I always think that Harry has to get back in and quickly and get with those lads running around that pitch.

‘As much as he wants to leave, as much as he feels he might have been hard done by, as much as he’s annoyed with the guy making the decisions, he’s got to get back in with his team-mates. Because they’re professional players as well.

‘They look up to him, he’s a massive icon at that club and in this country and I think he’ll have to get back in very quickly.’

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