Interim Tottenham boss Ryan Mason says he cannot answer questions on Harry Kane’s future because he will not be the manager next season.
Kane has reportedly told Spurs he wants to leave the club this summer in a pursuit of trophies and Mason was left to face the media on the topic on Tuesday.
He was asked 16 questions about the Tottenham striker over a 30-minute period but said nothing more conclusive than he was “not aware” that one of his best friends informed the club of his desire to move on.
It is not the first time Mason, a 29-year-old temporary replacement for the sacked Jose Mourinho, has been put in an uncomfortable position in his short time in the job as he was the spokesman for the club’s involvement in the European Super League on his first day in the job and has regularly fielded questions about the managerial search.
With Kane under contract for another three years and Spurs unlikely to accept less than £150million for him, it is a situation that looks set to rumble on long after Mason returns to his role in the club’s academy at the end of the Premier League season.
That is perhaps why he has not been bothered by the interrogations.
“I’m not uncomfortable at all. I couldn’t be more comfortable,” he said. “I’m at the club I love. I’ve got people around me who are great. I feel at home here.
“So answering questions comes with the role, it’s normal.
🎙️ @RyanMason answers questions from the media ahead of our final home game of the season.— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 18, 2021
“I’ve been given the duty of taking the football club for the remaining seven games of the season, so there are certain questions I can’t answer because I don’t know because I’m not the manager for the future – so I can’t answer the questions.
“I’m not in those conversations about next season, what the squad’s going to look like, who we want to bring in because my focus in on the next two games.
“So in terms of being uncomfortable, no. I’m really comfortable.
“I’ve been given this opportunity and I feel I wouldn’t have been handed this opportunity if the club didn’t feel like I was ready to help the team and Tottenham Hotspur.
“When you represent a big club there is always going to be speculation. Football when you lose, it’s horrible, when you win it’s great.
“In terms of a crash-course, you could say that. But its something I feel comfortable dealing with.”
Less than six weeks after telling the media that he wanted to focus on the remainder of the season and then the Euros before thinking about his future, Kane’s camp briefed on Monday night about his desire to leave the club.
It came at the start of the week where Spurs have two Premier League games to try to seal European qualification, with a place in next season’s Europa League looking likely.
Tottenham are understood to be unhappy with the timing of the leak from Kane’s camp, but Mason said that it is just part of football.
“It is just the reality of football,” he said. “We all know that. There’s always speculation and there are always comments. That’s normal.
“As players and coaches we can’t be affected by stuff we read or see because it happens all the time.
“We’re professionals, we’re paid to work, we’re paid to be ready for football matches. That’s what we’ll do. That’s what we are doing.
“No, my focus hasn’t deviated. I’ve been committed. I feel like we have helped the team, helped the group. It’s part of football. I experienced it as player.”
