Antonio Conte reveals why Kane stands out from other strikers; lauds Doherty mentality

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has revealed why Harry Kane is a class above most other strikers and heaped praise on the mentality of Matt Doherty.

Tottenham are fourth after their emphatic 5-1 victory over Newcastle last time out. And they were helped by Arsenal dropping points to Crystal Palace on Monday night, with the Eagles running out 3-0 winners.

Conte’s men can consolidate their Champions League qualification hopes with another win this weekend. They travel to the west Midlands to face Aston Villa on Saturday at 17:30.

Ahead of the clash, Conte was asked about star man Kane. The England international put in an exceptional display against Newcastle, spraying passes all over the pitch.

On the striker, Conte told a press conference (via football.london): “I think he deserves an important position in the world of football. I think Harry also he has the right age to show that he can be one of the best, best in the world and in history.

“He’s already in history because he’s scored a lot of goals for the club and the national team. He’s of the right age to consilidate this and be one of the best.”

Antonio Conte hails Harry Kane trait

The Italian then hailed Kane’s ability to play as the last man or in a deeper role – something many strikers cannot do.

“He’s not typical in that he’s a number nine and number 10. We try to exploit this characteristic,” Conte added.

“We are talking about a fantastic player. It’s very difficult to improve him but we’re trying to work and push him to the top ambition, to be the best striker.”

Another player who has been in good form with Spurs recently is right wing-back Matt Doherty. He found the net at Leeds in February and again against Newcastle last week.

“Matthew is the typical player that is showing big improvement,” Conte said. “If you remember at the start he didn’t play a lot with me because at that moment I think he didn’t deserve to play. Then he worked very hard.

“He is a really good guy and in every training session you see the desire and the will to improve himself.

“He has a great mentality, many times when players don’t play a lot they go down mentally.

“Instead he has shown me to be strong and shown me, ‘I do what you want, I am going to improve and when I am ready I want to play’.

“He has shown me that not with talking, but with attitude and behaviour. He is playing very well and with great confidence and I am very happy for him. It’s a good example for everyone.”

Antonio Conte also gave a positive injury update regarding two stars, although Oliver Skipp’s fitness is less certain.

Two players set to return

“No new injuries, two good news because Ryan Sessegnon and Sergio Reguilon had the training session with us.

“About Skipp, we have to wait. He’s not ready, he’s still not ready and we need to have patience with him and sort this problem.

“First training session with Ryan for a long time compared to Sergio and for sure we need to pay attention to him. But it’s good that he and Sergio are back.”

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