CARLISLE defender Alex McQueen has paid tribute to the dedication of England striker Harry Kane after seeing his old pal put Germany to the sword.
McQueen, 21, came through the ranks at White Hart Lane and played in the same reserve sides as the Premier League‘s 21-goal top scorer.
But, while McQueen was forced to abandon Tottenham in the summer, Kane has gone on to become a leading light for club and country.
The 22-year-old’s stunning strike in the 3-2 victory over world champions Germany all but cemented a starting place at this summer’s European Championships – something McQueen would not have bet on a couple of years ago.
“Back then, he was always quite skinny and gangly,” recalls McQueen, who made his professional debut for Carlisle in August and has since played 23 games.
“You wouldn’t have looked at him and straightaway said ‘Oh, he’s going to be the best striker in the Premier League’.
“But his technique was always excellent. After every session, he used to stay back and practise shooting. Bang, bang, bang. Every day about 50 balls. He was desperate to get better.
“He worked so hard to improve his technique and you can see that he’s done the same with his body.
“Physically, he looks like a proper man on the pitch now.”
McQueen does not regret his move to Cumbria but has watched wistfully as home-grown youngsters like Kane, Ryan Mason and Danny Rose have flourished under Mauricio Pochettino.
“Pochettino sort of came in as I was leaving, so we didn’t get much chance to work together properly,” he added. “Maybe if he’d arrived a year earlier and I’d seen what was happening, then I’d have stayed put. But, at the same time, they’ve got Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, DeAndre Yedlin – all young players – in my position. It would have been tough.
“I loved my time there. When I first went up to the Under-21s, my managers were Tim Sherwood, Les Ferdinand and Chris Ramsey. Chris was the one who actually signed me.
“They were really good coaches, really encouraging and professional. They made you feel like you were part of an adults’ team.
“But, if you’re not playing and you’re not going out on loan, there comes a time where you have to get out.”
McQueen’s short time at Carlisle has certainly been eventful. His career was just eight games old when he took – and scored – a penalty at the Kop End as the Cumbrians suffered a Carling Cup shoot-out defeat at the hands of Liverpool.
“That was probably the best football experience I’ve had,” he says.
“When we got to penalties, I actually believed we were going to do it. I had to take one. Not many people get to play at Anfield. I didn’t want to go home thinking ‘I could have made a difference’.”
Then, a month later, he was one of several players who donned wellies and a mop to help locals repair the devastation wrought by the Christmas floods.
“We were in London for an away game and just heard about it on the news,” he says. “Next thing we knew, they were showing pictures of all our cars underwater at the ground!
“They were all written off, but it was nothing compared to what some people went through.
“I live up on a hill, in an apartment, so I was safe. But, walking in the town, you always bump into fans and it was only right that we helped them out.
“It’s been very different from playing for Spurs, but I’ve loved it. I’ve played at Anfield, played at Loftus Road, got a good run of games. It’s exactly why I came.”
