What Kane's ex-team mates say before England's Norway clash
Former Norway midfielder Alex Tettey says Harry Kane's rise to England record goalscorer was no shock to anyone who shared a dressing room with him at Norwich City — and Norway must keep the Bayern Munich striker quiet in Miami if they want a World Cup quarter-final upset. As England's harry kane team prepares to face Norway, two ex-club team-mates who watched him develop on loan spells say the finishing and work ethic were already world-class years before the spotlight arrived.
Key Takeaways
- Alex Tettey, Kane's former Norwich team-mate, warned Norway not to give England's captain any chances in the World Cup quarter-final.
- Tettey and Millwall ex-captain Alan Dunne both recall immaculate finishing from a quiet, humble teenage Kane on loan in 2011–12 and 2012–13.
- Kane failed to score in the Premier League for Norwich but has since become a dual threat who can score and dictate play from deep.
- England enter the Miami clash fourth in the Fifa men's rankings; Norway are 19th but buoyed by a first-ever World Cup quarter-final run.
- Former team-mates frame Kane's path — loan spells, injuries, patience — as proof that long-game development can compound into elite returns.
Why Is Alex Tettey Warning Norway About Harry Kane?
With England set to face Norway in a World Cup quarter-final in Miami, Tettey told BBC News that confidence is high in his homeland — as long as his former Norwich City team-mate Harry Kane is kept quiet. The England skipper had a loan spell at Carrow Road during 2012–13 that was disrupted by injury, yet Tettey still remembers how well the teenager struck the ball and finished in training.
Although Kane failed to score in the Premier League for the Canaries that season, he has since become a world-class player and England's record goalscorer. Tettey, now 40 and a youth coach at Rosenborg after nine seasons and 263 Norwich appearances, said he was not surprised when Kane became the striker he is today.
"I wasn't surprised at all when he started becoming the striker he is now, as he had some attributes already as a young man that were incredible to see," Tettey said. "So yeah, he's top, top, top."
What Did Tettey See in Kane at Norwich?
Tettey scored on Kane's full Norwich debut during the striker's Tottenham loan, in a 2012 League Cup win over Doncaster that also marked the cult hero's own Canaries bow. Kane was calm and did not talk much at training, Tettey recalled, but when sessions turned competitive his quality was obvious.
Injuries limited his chances, and experienced forwards Grant Holt and Steve Morison made opportunities hard to come by. That slow burn mirrors a recurring theme in our Wealth Hacks & Passive Income coverage: visible setbacks do not always mean the underlying asset lacks value.
Tettey told BBC Radio Norfolk that Kane is not just a finisher. "He has the eye for the goal but he also — with the way he's been playing at Bayern Munich and with the national team — can drop deep; he can all of a sudden be a midfielder who dictates things, he can score goals." His verdict: "He is a world class footballer."
What Does Alan Dunne Remember From Millwall?
Alan Dunne, now manager of Tonbridge Angels, offers a parallel view from the other end of Kane's early loan portfolio. Dunne was a senior professional at Millwall when Kane, then 18, arrived on loan from Tottenham for the second half of the 2011–12 Championship season, as reported by Kent Online.
Kane scored seven goals in 22 appearances for the Lions and later said his time at The Den turned him into a man. Dunne recalled a grounded teenager who let his boots do the talking. "He was very quiet, very humble, he didn't say much," the Irishman said. "There were a lot of older lads there but he did his talking on the pitch."
Dunne added that Kane's finishing in training was immaculate — and that has not changed. He even scored "one of the best goals I've ever seen in training" and had "a few battles with him" as a defender. Their paths crossed again the following season when Kane was on loan at Leicester and Dunne's late strike secured a 1–0 Millwall win at the King Power Stadium.
How Does the Harry Kane Team Factor Shape the Quarter-Final?
England's 85-goal record scorer will captain the Three Lions against Norway after helping drive a 3–2 win over Mexico in the previous round, scoring once and setting up another. Tettey said Norwegian fans are buzzing yet calm, with the nation reaching a World Cup quarter-final for the first time. England are fourth in the Fifa men's rankings; Norway sit 19th, but Tettey said predicting the winner is difficult.
The tactical chess is layered. Tettey asked whether England can stop Erling Haaland or prevent Martin Odegaard from dictating the game. Equally, he warned: "Can the Norwegian team stop Harry Kane from both getting chances, dictating the game? Can they stop Jude Bellingham going through the box?" His blunt conclusion: Kane is "going to be a man that Norway definitely shouldn't give opportunities to."
For anyone tracking how early environments shape later payoffs, the through-line from Dunne and Tettey is consistent. Two different clubs, two different senior pros, same observation: the harry kane team around him saw elite finishing and composure long before the trophies and records arrived. Norway's task on the pitch is to contain that threat; the wider lesson off it is that patience through loan spells and setbacks can still compound into generational output.