Harry Kane warned Man City transfer battle will leave him ‘mentally and physically exhausted’ by Berbatov
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DIMITAR BERBATOV has warned that Harry Kane’s battle to leave Tottenham will leave him “mentally and physically exhausted”.
The Bulgarian went on ‘strike’ at Spurs — before joining Manchester United.
And while he never boycotted training in the summer of 2008, Berbatov missed two games at the start of the season before sealing a £30.75million deadline-day move.
So as England skipper Kane tries to force through a transfer to Manchester City, no one is better placed to give advice than Berba.
He told SunSport: “I know exactly how Harry Kane is feeling.
“I know he will be going through a difficult and confusing time, with a million questions going around his head.
"He’s going to be mentally and physically exhausted after all of this.
“Now he will be asking so many questions, sabotaging himself.
“Am I, Mr Spurs, still doing the right thing by not going to training? Why am I doing this?
“What happens if it doesn’t work and I need to go back to my old team-mates? How am I going to look them in the eye?
“How will I look the fans in the eye? Will they forgive me?
“I am sure Kane is torn apart and I am sure he is going through a painful period.”
Berbatov, 40, was the darling of White Hart Lane following 23 goals in his second season after arriving from Bayer Leverkusen.
A bitter transfer saga ensued, with chairman Daniel Levy filing a complaint over United boss Sir Alex Ferguson’s pursuit.
Berbatov did pre-season and came off the bench in Spurs’ first game at Middlesbrough.
But he was then ‘dropped’ for the next two by manager Juande Ramos, who said his presence “would not be good for the dressing room and team effort.”
A deal was done at the last minute and Berbatov’s dream had come true, not that he agrees with Kane’s tactic of missing training.
added: “I was surprised — I don’t think it’s the right way.
“I never boycotted training, that’s the difference.
“I didn’t play two games. It was difficult for me to admit but I found the power to say, ‘If I play, my mind will not be there, so I will be in the way of my team-mates doing their job’.
“I was at every training session but obviously my mind was also somewhere else, in places you don’t want to know.
“But training is easy. It’s behind closed doors, most team-mates will understand you, and it will be easy to let go of some stress with banter and jokes.
“I hope Harry resumes training, then the difficult and interesting part comes — the games.
“If it’s going to happen, I think it will be the last day of the window. But I would love it to be resolved sooner, because I don’t want to see him boycotting games.
Kane is at his home and is a world star. He is going to leave people disappointed, especially fans who worship him. Some understand, others never will.
Dimitar Berbatov
“Nobody wants to do that — especially Harry Kane.
“Mr Spurs, first name on the team sheet, for it to reach a time where he says he doesn’t want to play is going to be very sad.
“But is he going to be focused if he plays? I don’t think so.”
Tottenham fans were devastated when Berbatov left — but this is on another level. Levy is holding out for around £160m.
And Berbatov said: “If I was Levy, I would do the same. He is fighting for his team.
“It was different for me because I was a foreigner from a small country and it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“Kane is at his home and is a world star. He is going to leave people disappointed, especially the fans who worship him.
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