Harry Kane's Rise Shows Jose Mourinho Should Give Chelsea Kids Their Chances
It took Harry Kane just 79 seconds to score his first international goal.
Appearing from the bench for England to head home with his first touch completed a remarkable five months for the Tottenham Hotspur youngster, who this time last season was barely warming the bench at White Hart Lane.
His story is one of chance, but equally one of a player making the most of the opportunities afforded him.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
With experienced strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado misfiring, Mauricio Pochettino had no choice but to give Kane his opportunity when he did in November.
His impact since raises the question: How many other youngsters are there in the English game who could benefit in the same way Kane has?
With a team that has maintained Chelsea's lead at the top of the table since the opening weekend of the current Premier League campaign, it's difficult to question why Jose Mourinho hasn't been more forthcoming with giving the likes of Lewis Baker and Nathan Ake first-team opportunities.
Unlike Spurs, Chelsea are capable of competing with Europe's elite. Their early exit in the Champions League suggests otherwise, but the Stamford Bridge dressing room is replete with players of international renown.
Indeed, success isn't hoped for at Chelsea—it's demanded.
Equally, though, where Spurs come up short in their first team, Chelsea's academy far outstrips their London rivals' capabilities.
The FA Youth Cup is the acid test for teams at that level, and five finals in six years tells us Chelsea are dominant in much the same way as they are with their first team.
Chelsea's youngsters recently thrashed Spurs 5-2 in the semi-final to reach the final of this season's competition.
Not since John Terry has a youth-team graduate prospered at senior level, however.
Ryan Bertrand threatened to, but now he's departed west London for Southampton after giving up the ghost last summer.
With all the success Chelsea have enjoyed in recent times, it's the club's failure to regularly produce their own talent that is the only negative.
The trophy cabinet is stacked full with every major honour in the domestic and European game. Producing the next Terry now seems to be the final frontier for Chelsea.
When will that be achieved?
There are signs it could be soon, especially as Mourinho seems eager to publicly discuss some of the names predicted to make the grade.
Only last summer, the manager bravely declared he would have failed if Baker, Dominic Solanke and Izzy Brown do not go on to win international caps with England.
And more recently, he implied Chelsea wouldn't be joining the race to sign the supremely talented Paul Pogba this summer, as they have Ruben Loftus-Cheek coming through in the same position.
The signs are encouraging, but more so is what we have witnessed from Kane this season.
He's set a precedent.
Kane has been backed by his manager and is flourishing as a result. In the process, he has surpassed many of his Spurs team-mates both in importance and rank.
What's remarkable is that Soldado cost his club £26 million just two years ago, yet within six months Kane has surpassed the former's goal tally at White Hart Lane.
It's cost Spurs nothing in transfer fees.
Interestingly, Pochettino had been reluctant to play Kane in the beginning stages of the season. Speaking in October, the Spurs boss suggested he was under pressure from the media and fans to give Kane a chance based on his nationality and not his talent.
He was almost reluctant to play him as some sort of protest.
"I understand the fans want [Kane] to play because he is English," said Pochettino, per the Daily Mail. "But my decision is always about my analysis on the training and afterwards to give the balance to the team and our performance."
Read now, those quotes seem like folly. Kane has transformed Spurs' fortunes, and it's his goals that have given the club a springboard to potentially qualify for next season's Champions League.
Pochettino has learned his lesson, and the rest of the Premier League should take notice.
Even Mourinho.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
