Jose Mourinho has hit out at Paul Merson for comments made regarding Harry Kane’s management under Jose Mourinho.

According to the sports pundit, the English captain would not do well under the Portuguese due to his style of play – where he allows a single player to handle the upfront role, which involves much of strength due to the player’s function to drop deep sometimes for the ball for finishing. He assessed that Kane is not that type of player and would struggle to hit top form under Mourinho.

"When Jose took the job I worried for Harry Kane," Merson told Soccer Saturday.

"He played under Pochettino and Tottenham sort of had a go wherever they went. There were goals, there were crosses, there were shots.

"[But now] he's going to be playing up front on his own and it is going to be hard work. In the end, he's trying to hit 60-yard passes just to be involved in the game. That's not Harry Kane.

"He's not fit. He's definitely not fit. They played with virtually 10 men.

"I think he'll have a serious think at the end of the season, I really do. I don't see him getting 25-30 goals next season with the way Jose will want to play.

"And Jose won't want to play like he did when he first got in there and it was 4-2 and 5-3, no way. He'll like those games like Friday night, 1-1."

The Spurs boss quickly replied Merson and turned down his irrational comment concerning his striker.

"I feel a bit strange about some analysis and some comments. The beginning of some comments and analysis started from Paul [Merson]," said Mourinho.

"I have to say I respect people a lot like him and because I respect him a lot I want to be nice in my answer. I try to be nice and I try just to say something where people can think a little a bit.

READ ALSO:

EPL Matchday 30: Fernandes late penalty earns United a point; Spurs 1 - 1 Manchester United

"First of all, Harry played his first game for six months and if you watch the game and you analyse the game, compare Harry Kane with Anthony Martial.

"Was it a game of many chances? Was it a game where the two strikers had a lot of chances? Do you give credit to my defence for Martial's game? Do you give credit to United's defence and for the occasions we created or we didn't create? I think you have to look at it in a balanced approach.

The manager compared series of players whom he has worked with and justified that had it not been Kane’s six months' absence as a result of injury from his team, he would have hit the ground as he does every time.

"In our case, Harry doesn't play a game for six months.

The record of goals that Harry has with me is easy for you. You just look go to your data and it is easy to see how many matches Harry played with me before his injury and how many goals he scored.

"I can say that I had a few strikers that played for me and they are not bad. I had one guy called [Didier] Drogba. He played for me [over] four seasons. He scored 186 goals which gives an average of 46 goals per season (sic 187 games, 73 goals).

"I had one guy that is not also bad - he [Ronaldo] plays for Juventus now. He played for me [during] three seasons. He scored 168 goals, which gives an average of 56 goals per season.

"I had another guy who is not also bad called Karim Benzema. He played for me [during] three seasons. He was not always starting because he was quite young at that time. But he scored for me 78 goals in three season which gives a 26-goal average per season.

"I had another one called [Diego] Milito. He played one season for me [and] he scored 30 goals. He won three titles and of course the average is 30 [per season].

"I had another guy that played for me [over] one and a half seasons. I say one and half because in the other half he had a big injury. A tall guy called Zlatan [Ibrahimovic]. He played one and a half seasons. He scored 58 goals which gives a 29-goal average per season.

"So, dear Paul, I have lots of respect for you. [But] I think Harry Kane has no problems at all to score goals in my teams. Especially when he is fit, fresh, when he has routines of playing. So, that is my message to somebody that I have lots of respect for."