FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - May 6, 2023 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
(Reuters) - Harry Kane was right to say that Tottenham Hotspur had lost their way in recent years, according to interim manager Ryan Mason, who said on Friday that he agreed with the England striker's assessment.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Kane said Spurs had "lost a bit of what the values are" over the last few years as the north London side went from being Champions League finalists in 2019 to being on the verge of missing out on Europe next season.
Kane, who has been at Spurs since he was 11, has yet to win a trophy and he said he had to accept that the team are in a "different situation" to clubs around them in the table and that there are "some things that may need to change".
"We're talking about a massive football club here," Mason told reporters ahead of Saturday's trip to Aston Villa.
"I agree with him, I'm happy he said it. He's one of the people I want to drive it because of his stature at this football club."
Kane moved up to second in the Premier League's all-time top scorers list after he passed Wayne Rooney with his 209th goal and now has only Alan Shearer (260) in his sights.
Whether he breaks the record in a Spurs shirt is a debate that has shown no signs of dying and Mason said their focus was only on finishing the season well with Spurs currently in sixth place.
"The reality is Harry is still a Tottenham player and we are still focused on him achieving more great things with this great football club and hopefully he can do that," Mason said.
"Our focus is on Harry until the end of the season like it is on every other player. At the end of the season there are some decisions to make for different people and different players.
"Ultimately the focus for every player in that dressing room right now is the next three games because we need to finish the season strong and be in a good place come the summer."
When asked if Kane deserved a statue at Spurs for his exploits, Mason said it was a bit premature to think about one now.
"I think that's probably a question to answer when he's not playing here. Then you can really recognise and appreciate the work he's done here," he said.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
