Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Harry Kane is able to get away with things on the pitch that others perhaps don’t.
That is the view of former Premier League footballer Kevin Campbell, who was speaking to Football Insider following Spurs’ 3-1 north London derby defeat.
Video footage of Kane leaving a foot in on Arsenal defender Gabriel has circulated following last weekend’s clash, with the Three Lions captain appearing to get frustrated with the way the game was going.
And Campbell believes that the 29-year-old will get away with certain things – and “people accept that”.
He said: “Listen, Harry Kane is the England captain.
“There are certain things he gets away with that others don’t. People accept that. We have seen it happen in the past.
“As a centre-forward, you have to be able to handle yourself. You are in the trenches when you play up front.
“If you can get a little dig in on your opponent, you have got to try and do it. Trust me, they will be doing the same to him.
“I do not think there was much in it. It was just a centre-forward putting himself about in a game. You have to let the defenders know that you are there.”
TIF Thoughts on Campbell’s comments…
Judging by Kane’s lack of cautions during his career, we believe that there could be an element of truth in Campbell’s comments.
The 75-time England international has been sent off just once in his career – for two bookable offences – which was during his time on loan at Leyton Orient in the 2010/11 season, according to Transfermarkt.
However, in 397 appearances for Spurs, he has picked up just 41 yellow cards in that time – a booking around every 10 games – suggesting that he rarely gets reprimanded or disciplined despite being a physical striker who uses his body to get past centre-backs.
Therefore, whilst we don’t think Kane is a dirty player, we believe that there is justification for Campbell’s comments given his disciplinary record.