Former Chelsea forward Tony Cascarino has claimed that Harry Kane is no longer the player he once was due to his injury problems.
The Tottenham Hotspur marksman had to undergo surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring which he injured in the New Year’s Day defeat at Southampton.
The 27-year-old has also battled with respective ankle injuries over the past four years which have had an impact on his game time (transfermarkt).
After recovering from his hamstring surgery, Kane looked sharp following the restart of the Premier League campaign in June and scored in seven of the nine top flight matches to help his side finish sixth in the table (transfermarkt).
Cascarino believes that Kane’s previous injuries have taken their toll on the forward and while he acknowledged that the Spurs man is still a threat in front of goal, he believes that he is not the same player who took to the field three years ago.
Cascarino told talkSPORT: “Harry’s 27 years old now. He’s captain. Been an incredible goalscorer. He’s quite clearly England’s best striker.
“Is he as good as what he was three years ago? No he’s not.
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“I say that because Alan Shearer was an incredible player. I played against him, watched him and he was a fantastic striker and continued to be a great striker, continued to get goals but had bad injuries.
“Harry’s had bad injuries. The tendon in his hamstring was the same as Michael Owen had. It’s a big problem.
“He’s had a number of ankle issues to deal with. He’s had injuries every year.
“Harry will still continue to get goals. He will still be England’s best striker at the next two tournaments from the Euros to the next World Cup.
“I can’t see anyone getting in front of him but I don’t think he’s quite the same player he was.”
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