Gary Neville explains why ‘alarm bells’ are ringing over Harry Kane

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Harry Kane’s poor start to the Premier League season for Tottenham Hotspur will send “alarm bells” around the club, according to Gary Neville.

Kane was heavily linked with a transfer away from Tottenham this summer but a move to Manchester City failed to materialise before the end of the window.

He is yet to score in the Premier League since returning to the team and was sub-par in the team’s 3-0 defeats by Crystal Palace last weekend and Chelsea on Sunday.

Kane failed to touch the ball in the box at Selhurst Park and was fielded on the left wing against Chelsea, with the striker looking “despondent” in the closing stages as the Blues cruised to victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, the former Manchester United defender said the England captain’s form following a difficult summer will be a concern for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

“When Manchester City drew [0-0] with Southampton, the talk resurfaced about them not signing Harry Kane. He’s playing for Tottenham and he loves this club, but just being on the left on Sunday, I was thinking in the first half, ‘If this doesn’t work, it won’t go down too well,’” Neville said.

“As soon as Chelsea went 2-0 up, I was watching and thinking he wouldn’t be hanging out on the left for much longer. Nuno switched it straight away but when he did go central, nothing happened. He didn’t get more involved in the game.

“They are difficult circumstances in the sense that he did want to further his career and win trophies. Kane chose this summer to publicise the fact that he wanted to leave, and to go and win trophies but Daniel Levy and Tottenham decided to keep him which is their right as he’s under contract.

“But it’s never easy when a player wants to leave your club and everyone in the ground and in the dressing room knows that he wants to leave. Things aren’t going well. We had the stat at Crystal Palace where he’d played his first 90 minutes without a touch in the opposition box or a shot on target. Little things like that start to ring before the game.

“There were alarm bells and now there will be further questions as he looked despondent towards the end. He was playing against a very good team and he’s been part of a Tottenham team in this situation for a number of years.

“He’ll be thinking, ‘I’m here again.’ He’ll be thinking, ‘I’m not going to challenge for the title again at Tottenham and I’m not even going to get into the top four.’ He wanted more.”

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane questioned Kane’s body language in the 3-0 defeat, which was Tottenham’s second in a row in the Premier League ahead of the north London derby next weekend.