Harry Kane has revealed that he found out Jose Mourinho had lost his job as Tottenham head coach five or ten minutes before the club officially confirmed his departure.
Making a good start to the season with the team riding high at the top of the Premier League table prior to Christmas, Spurs' poor form in 2021 has seen them tumble down the standings and put them at serious risk of missing out on the top four for the second successive year.
Under intense pressure following their embarrassing defeats against Arsenal and Dinamo Zagreb in March, chairman Daniel Levy finally decided to part with the 58-year-old on Monday morning as the team's poor form continued.
Amid doubts that Kane would be a success under Mourinho, the 27-year-old completely silenced the doubters after registering 31 goals and 16 assists in his 43 games under the ex-Chelsea boss this term.
Clearly a shock for many that Spurs decided to call time on Mourinho's tenure six days before the Carabao Cup final, the England captain has now opened up on the managerial change this week for the very first time.
"I was surprised (by Mourinho's sacking) - I'll be totally honest," he told Sky Sports. "I came in that morning and probably found out 5-10 minutes before it was announced.
"A lot of the focus was on the Carabao Cup final and preparing for that but, look, it's football. I've been here now where a couple of managers have been sacked and, as a player now, I don't think you ever expect the boss to be sacked but it's part of the game, you have to deal with it.
"I had a great relationship with Jose, I wish him all the best for whatever his next job is, but he knows as we know football can be cut-throat and we just have to look forward. We have a big final to prepare for now and we're looking forward to that.
"Ryan's [Mason] been great. It's obviously been strange for him, a bit of a rollercoaster coming in late notice and taking on the job. I thought he's done incredibly well; how he's handled the whole situation, how he's handled the boys and obviously getting his first win against Southampton was a massive moment.
"It's given everyone a buzz going into the cup final. Me and Ryan are good mates, we've known each other a long time, on and off the field we are really close.
"I'm buzzing for him to have this opportunity and to have the experience to manage one of the best clubs in the world. Hopefully we can try and win on Sunday and experience a truly special moment together."
That wasn't the only talking point at the club this week with Tottenham announcing their intention to join the European Super League on Sunday evening before announcing their plans to withdraw on Tuesday amid plenty of criticism from fans all across the globe.
With a number of managers and players speaking out on the controversial league over the past few days, Kane has now had his say on the outcome and stated that he was pleased that the idea didn't come to fruition.
"I liked the outcome of it," he added. "I didn't quite like the idea of it if I'm honest. I can totally understand the fans' point of view. From a lot of people's point of view, it wasn't quite right.
"It's obviously been ended for now. I'm proud of the fans for sticking up for what they believe it. I am glad of what the outcome has become.
"For football in general it's good the way it is. The competitiveness is an important part of football and that's the reason we play football."
