Kane: extended injury layoff a “shock to the system,” promises to come back stronger

We haven’t seen Harry Kane play a football match in six months, which is a weird thing to contemplate. The last time he took the pitch for Tottenham Hotspur was on New Year’s Day, a 1-0 loss to Southampton that saw him limp off with a hamstring injury.

But the extended coronavirus-related shutdown of the Premier League has had the unexpected bonus of allowing Kane time to not only heal from his injuries, but refresh himself mentally and “refocus” himself in preparation for the game’s return. In an interview with SpursTV on Tottenham’s YouTube channel, Kane acknowledged the difficulty of being away from football for so long, but promised that he’s working hard to come back better than what he was before the injury.

“Obviously, it has been a funny few months or so having to adapt to the situation, but I think it is great to be back out with the lads, just to feel that team building and get back and competing a little bit more, and just getting my fitness back. From the hamstring point of view it is great to be able to give it a bit more rest. Obviously I have not played a game for six months now, it has been a long, long time.

“From an injury point of view I’m back to normal, I’m fully fit. It will take a while to get back to the team training and feeling that again because I haven’t done that for six months or so. I am feeling food, I am feeling sharp. It’s been good to do some individual training, a bit of finishing, a lot of individual drills to work on my game and improve. I am at a stage where I am looking forward to getting some games and hopefully I’ll be back playing before too long.”

Without the global pandemic, Kane probably would’ve returned to action well before now — he was tipped to be back and match fit just before the end of the season, along with Son Heung-Min who had fractured his arm in the spring. Jose Mourinho had talked about potentially having Sonny and Kane on the pitch at the same time before the end of the season. The extra time provided by the pandemic and the stoppage of football has allowed Kane to focus as much on the mental parts of the game as the physical, and he says it’s been difficult, but also rewarding.

“It is a good shock to the system. It has been very intense. I have picked up a few injuries here and there. Sometimes people think injuries is the time to rest but it is almost when you’re injured you work harder than before you were injured.

“It is the first time that I have been able to literally take my time, re-focus and work on some individual stuff, and I have really enjoyed it. Hopefully I’ll be back in a better place before I was injured and look forward to the next kind of busy year.”

Kane said he’s also looking forward to getting to know newcomers Steven Bergwijn and Gedson Fernandes, both of whom were signed to the club during Kane’s absence through injury. While both Gedson and Stevie have gotten significant minutes since their arrival, Kane hasn’t played with them yet but is looking forward to working with them on the pitch.

“I got injured on January 1 so I haven’t seen too much of Gedson or Stevie, in terms of playing with or getting that connection, but I have been watching them play. It has been long enough without a game, especially when you have got top players who are new to the club and you want to be on the pitch with them.

“I am looking forward to it, I am looking forward to it. The squad is looking good, everyone is fully fit and ready to go. We will be working hard between now and the first game and hopefully we can finish strong in the last nine games.”

Tottenham will resume play in the Premier League sometime during the weekend of June 19 at home against Manchester United. The schedule has not yet been released.