John Giles believes that new Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo cannot play Harry Kane in their opening match with Manchester City.

Kane has stated that he wants to leave his boyhood club to leave for this weekend's opponents, and Giles says he is somewhat baffled by Nuno's approach.

Harry Kane

"I'm surprised at Nuno, up until last week he hadn't even had a chat with Kane," Giles said.

"When you're a manager of a club, you can't have a player like Kane, not speak to him and the play him. It doesn't make sense.

"Maybe he is under instructions from [Daniel] Levy because I heard him make a few comments saying that he wants him back in the team. The fact is that everyone would want him back in the team but Harry Kane has gone out on a limb and said that he wants to leave.

"Ultimately, players play for the manager, they are not playing for Levy. The first thing he should have done is get in touch with Harry Kane himself."

Smells like team spirit

Giles believes that the Kane situation is liable to undermine team morale in the short term.

"He knows [how welcome he is at Spurs] but he has said publicly that he wants to go. What are the other players in the dressing room going to think?

"Team spirit and morale doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen when your main player is saying publicly and strongly that he wants to go.

"As a manager, I wouldn't have anyone in the dressing room who said that."

Things could turn

Giles says that there is the possibility that the dressing room could turn against Kane, a situation unthinkable last season.

"Your heart has to be in it, your heart has to be in Spurs to really have the morale. He is the main man, he is the captain and he has no real relationship with the manager as far as we can see.

"You're then expecting him to go out and be the Harry Kane that he was. It's just not possible.

"To do your best for a team, you have to believe in it, the manager, and that they are going to do well. Harry has stated publicly and in a big way that he doesn't want to be at Spurs.

"What are the rest of the lads going to think? He was the captain, I don't know if he'll be captain again [but they will be thinking] 'He is our main man and he doesn't want to be here.'

"You can't put him into the team until he makes a statement that he wants to stay."

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