Football
ESPN staff 8y

Klinsmann: 'Difference maker' Harry Kane can be as good as Ibra, Ronaldo

United States manager Jurgen Klinsmann called Tottenham's Harry Kane a "difference maker" and believes he has the potential to one day be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Kane, 22, led the Premier League with 25 goals in 2015-16, after finishing second in goals scored the previous season behind Manchester City's Sergio Aguero.

Klinsmann, who scored 21 goals in 41 appearances for Spurs during his one season with the club, said his development has been fun to watch over the last two years and believes the best is yet to come.

"I adore Harry Kane. I love him," Klinsmann told Sunday Mirror Sport. "I really like the way he has developed over the last few years, looking at it from the outside, I have constantly said to people that it is really nice to see the younger players stay grounded, staying normal.

"You don't get a sense of any of the players losing sight of where they are which is very important and great to see. You don't want to see them become big headed.

"Spurs have a wonderful group of players and the manager really has some fantastic options at his disposal."

Kane is set to be part of what looks to be a potent attack for England as the team head to France for Euro 2016, which gets underway on June 10 when France host Romania at the Stade de France.

England's first match in Group B is against Russia in the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on June 11.

After that, Kane and Spurs will look to build on a successful Premier League campaign that saw his team finish second in the table and qualify for the Champions League. And Klinsmann think the England striker and his teammates have what it takes to find success on the European stage.

He said: "To have Champions League football for Harry is very important for his development as a player. That is a huge challenge as is playing in the Euros this summer. It's a big leap forward but it's fantastic for him to have the opportunity to show what he can do.

"Of course there are fantastic strikers at a tournament like the Euros. Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], [Cristiano] Ronaldo and the others.

"Can he be as good as them? Yeah, only time will tell.

"The bottom line will always be how many goals and how many assists. How influential can he be during a game. That is where is counts for the truly great players. They are difference makers.

"The big names we love to talk about and watch, they are difference makers. They make something happen out of the blue, they do something brilliant in the 94th minute when everyone is tired."

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