This page contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the links provided, we may earn a commission.
Harry Kane, Spurs 2020-21 awayGetty

Kane warned against joining Real Madrid over Man Utd by ex-Tottenham star Van der Vaart

Harry Kane has been warned against joining Real Madrid over Manchester United by ex-Tottenham star Rafael van der Vaart.

Madrid and United are both reportedly weighing up a summer swoop for Kane, who has been tipped to leave Spurs in order to fulfil his trophy ambitions.

Van der Vaart thinks the 27-year-old would be better off at Old Trafford than Santiago Bernabeu, having seen a number of English players struggle after making the switch to Spain.

Article continues below

What's been said?

"He is now the best striker after [Robert] Lewandowski, and he is the man at Tottenham," the former Tottenham and Madrid midfielder told Ziggo Sport.

"It may sound crazy, but you would almost say go to Manchester United or something, stay in England.

"Usually, it's not such a success when an English player goes to Madrid."

How many English players have played for Madrid?

Steve McManaman was the first English star to move to the Bernabeu from the Premier League, joining the Blancos from Liverpool in 1999.

The midfielder spent four years on Madrid's books, winning two La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns while making over 90 appearances for the club.

David Beckham arrived in the Spanish capital from Manchester United shortly before McManaman's departure, with the La Liga giants investing €37 million (£31m/$43m) in his talents.

Michael Owen followed in 2014 after also deciding to leave Liverpool, while Jonathan Woodgate was snapped up from Newcastle United in the same year.

Beckham and Owen only managed to win one La Liga title during their time with Madrid, while Woodgate went down as one of the club's worst signings in history after struggling with numerous injuries.

What has Kane said about his future?

Kane addressed the ongoing speculation surrounding his future while on international duty with England last month.

Asked if he needs to leave Spurs in order to start winning major silverware, the Three Lions captain told reporters: "I think that’s a hard question to answer right now.

"Look, I try to stay out of that speculation as much as possible. I’m fully focused on doing the job on the pitch from now until the end of the summer and then we’ll see where we go from there.”

Kane's record for Tottenham in 2020-21

Kane is currently enjoying another prolific season in front of goal with Spurs, having scored 29 goals in 41 matches across all competitions to date.

Two of those efforts were recorded in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle on Sunday, and he has also laid on 16 assists for his team-mates.

Further reading

Advertisement