Clive Allen: I wouldn't be surprised if Tottenham's Harry Kane followed in my footsteps and moved to the NFL

EXCLUSIVE
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Sam Long21 October 2016

Clive Allen has backed Harry Kane to be a success if the Tottenham striker decides to move to the NFL once his football career is over.

Kane is one of the Premier League's most lethal marksmen and scored 25 goals to claim the coveted Golden Boot award last season..

But the 23-year-old is also a big fan of American football and has claimed he would be open to the possibility of switching sports at some stage in the future.

Only a handful of players have ever done so but Allen, who played for NFL Europe franchise the London Monarchs in the 1990s, believes Kane would be capable of transferring his skills across to a new challenge.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane returns to training

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"I know Harry well. He's a natural sportsman - a good golfer - and I wouldn't be surprised [if he moved to NFL]," Allen told Standard Sport.

"He would be one who could master the technique - there's no doubt about that. And I know he would have the mentality to cope with it as well.

"Even though the ball is snapped and placed for you there are a number of times when it's not quite perfect for you. So you have to adjust when you're kicking."

The stop-start regime of a placekicker may appear to be light work in comparison to the cut and thrust of elite level football, given that kickers are inactive for long periods in a game.

But Allen is adamant such high-pressure situations are a real test of a player's technique, particularly as you have such little time to set yourself.

"It was bloody scary when I got out there I tell you that!

"You try to relate it to something you would do in a football match but there's more pressure than there would be even taking a penalty because you've got players flying at you trying to stop it."

Watch the LA Rams take on the New York Giants live at Twickenham Stadium on BBC 2 from 2pm this Sunday

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