Mauricio Pochettino lifts lid on stamping out Harry Kane's 'bad habits' at Tottenham

View 2 Images

Mauricio Pochettino has revealed how Harry Kane was being held back by some bad habits when he took charge of Tottenham . But some harsh words from the Argentine to Kane helped set him on the road to becoming one of the best strikers in the world .

Pochettino admits Kane wasn't even close to getting in the Tottenham first team when he succeeded Tim Sherwood as manager in 2014.

But Pochettino gave him a new training schedule - and it helped transform the career of the striker. Kane went on to become Tottenham's record goalscorer with 280 in all competitions.

Kane has also overtaken Wayne Rooney as England's leading marksman and has plundered 54 goals in 46 appearances for Bayern Munich this season to help them win back-to-back Bundesliga titles.

But Pochettino admits it could have been different - because Kane wasn't professional enough.

Pochettino told the Stick to Football podcast: "When Tim Sherwood left the club and we arrived, I think Harry Kane was the third or the fourth striker.

"When we started to work with Harry, we saw that his mindset was determined to be successful.

"It's true he didn’t have the best habits, but after we had a talk with him, he was very intelligent and was quick to change those habits (training, food etc). We feel proud, but it's him and the people that are next to him that made him successful."

Pochettino, who will take charge of host nation USA at this summer's World Cup, has hinted at a return to Tottenham in the future, after admitting he would love to manage in the Premier League again one day.

View 2 Images

He added: "One day, yes, because I really like England. I think my human profile and coach profile match very well with the Premier League and with the culture, the idea, the idiosyncrasy, and the philosophy.

"I really love Tottenham. It's one of the most important parts of my life as a coach and in my personal life too. I can talk from my experience in Tottenham - and what I can tell you for me it's one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"I think when we were competing there, we were competing with big people."

This week's Stick to Football podcast is available now on YouTube and all leading podcast platforms. Go to https://youtu.be/ao10sfPjSKU

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.