â€˜Kane in the NFL would be no surpriseâ€™ â€“ Ex-Spurs & London Monarchs star Allen backs career change

BetOdds Tottenham Hotspur Premier League Harry Kane

The former Tottenham frontman swapped soccer for American Football when hanging up his boots and believes a current striker could follow his lead

Tottenham striker Harry Kane starring as an NFL kicker in the years to come would come as no surprise to Clive Allen, who once made his own switch from soccer to gridiron.

Back in the 1990s, the ex-Spurs frontman took in a stint with NFL Europe sideÃ‚Â the London Monarchs.

He had called time on his career as a prolific footballer by then, with the decision taken to swap the European variety of the game for the American one.

It could be that a similar path is trodden by Kane at some stage, with the England captain known to be a big NFL fan.

He has already aired his ambition to give extra point duty a go once the time comes to stop scoring goals , and Allen sees no reason why the 26-year-old cannot be a sporting crossover star.

Ã¢Â€ÂœFormer strikers are the ones that can do it well,Ã¢Â€Â Allen told the Daily Star .

Ã¢Â€ÂœKane has a great interest in it and I wouldnÃ¢Â€Â™t be surprised if in years to come heÃ¢Â€Â™ll be kicking an NFL football.Ã¢Â€ÂœKnowing Kane - and having worked with him - I know all about his mentality and attitude.Ã¢Â€ÂœIÃ¢Â€Â™m sure he could adapt his style to do the job and I wouldnÃ¢Â€Â™t put it past him being very successful at it.Ã¢Â€ÂœItÃ¢Â€Â™s also not got the physical demands of soccer - kicking at least - so players can go on a little longer.Ã¢Â€Â

Kane has, however, been warned that stepping out of one world and into another may not be as easy as he thinks .

Allen admits there are certain intricacies that any rookie would need to adjust to, with it not as straightforward as merely swapping one ball for another.

He added: Ã¢Â€ÂœThe ball is not necessarily set perfectly when itÃ¢Â€Â™s snapped back to you, so you have to adjust - even in your run up.

Ã¢Â€ÂœItÃ¢Â€Â™s a different technique, certainly from kicking a soccer ball.Ã¢Â€ÂœThe NFL ball is remarkably light and deviates a lot.Ã¢Â€ÂœThe kicking technique is straight leg, locked knee and pointed toe. And where you strike the ball is really important.Ã¢Â€ÂœIt took quite a lot of practice and work for me to hone the skill and make it work.Ã¢Â€Â

For now Kane is focused on events at Tottenham, with the Premier League outfit considered by many to require major silverware in order to prevent a prized asset from seeing his head turned in the transfer market .

2019-11-18 18:00:03

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