Mourinho denies Kane will struggle under him: Drogba, Ronaldo weren't bad

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho refuted comments from Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson that suggested Harry Kane will struggle under the Portuguese manager's playing style.

Mourinho spoke to reporters on Monday, launching an impassioned statistical defense of the goal-scoring records of strikers who've played under his tutelage.

"I had a few strikers that played for me and are not bad. I had one guy called (Didier) Drogba. He played for me four seasons. He scored 186 goals. An average of 46 goals per season," Mourinho said.

Statistics database Opta claims Drogba actually scored 73 goals for Chelsea under Mourinho's watch, not 186.

Mourinho's remarks come after Merson suggested Kane should "have a serious think at the end of the season" because he won't score "25-30 goals a season the way Jose will want to play."

Friday's 1-1 draw against Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was Kane's first appearance since he suffered a serious hamstring injury on New Year's Day.

A noticeably rusty Kane managed only 36 touches on Friday - the lowest figure for any player on the pitch - and just one shot, though the Englishman has managed to bag seven goals in 10 matches since Mourinho's appointment in November.

Mourinho reckons his record with some of football's best forwards speaks for itself despite his reputation for defensive tactics.

"I had one guy who is not also bad. He plays for Juventus now (Cristiano Ronaldo). He played for me three seasons. He scored 168 goals. An average of 56 goals per season," Mourinho added.

As part of a prepared defense, Mourinho also cited goal-scoring records for Karim Benzema, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Diego Milito.

Spurs welcome a reeling West Ham side to north London on Tuesday as Mourinho's charges eye a potential Champions League spot.