'What About Cristiano Ronaldo, What About Didier Drogba?' - Jose Mourinho Hits Back Over Harry Kane Criticism

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has hit back at criticism he recently received over Harry Kane, listing the best strikers he coached and the number of goals they scored under his management.

Tired of reading? Click through the gallery to see the strikers Mourinho listed!

Arsenal legend Paul Merson recently claimed that Mourinho's style of coaching could lead to Kane looking for an exit from the club, a remark the Portuguese tactician almost immediately rebuked.

Ahead of Spurs' Premier League clash with West Ham United on Tuesday night, the former Chelsea boss recalled a number of top strikers who played under him, as well as the number of goals they scored.

"I have to say that I respect people like him (Merson) a lot and because I respect a lot, I want to be nice in my answer," Mourinho said, according to the Daily Mirror. 

"I try to be nice and just say something where people can think a little bit. I can say that I had a few strikers that played for me and they are not bad.

"I had one guy, called (Didier) Drogba, he played for me for four seasons, he scored 186 goals, which gives an average of 46 goals per season.

Click through the gallery below to see 10 stars who have scored 100 goals or more under one manager! 

Lionel Messi – scored 211 goals under Pep Guardiola, 153 under Luis Enrique at FC Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo – scored 112 goals under Zinedine Zidane, 112 under Carlo Ancelotti, 168 under Jose Mourinho (all at Real), scored 118 under Alex Ferguson at Man Utd

Wayne Rooney – scored 197 goals under Alex Ferguson at Manchester United

Harry Kane – scored 169 goals under Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham Hotspur

Antoine Griezmann – scored 133 goals under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid

Luis Suarez – scored 121 goals under Luis Enrique at FC Barcelona

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – scored 121 goals under Laurent Blanc at Paris Saint-Germain

Sergio Aguero – scored 105 goals under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City

Edinson Cavani – scored 104 goals under Walter Mazzarri at Napoli

Robert Lewandowski – scored 102 goals under Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund

"I had one guy that is not also bad, he plays for Juventus now (Cristiano Ronaldo). He played for me for three seasons, he scored 168 goals, which gives an average of 56 goals per season.

"I had another guy that is not also bad. His name is Karim Benzema. He also played for me for three seasons, he was not always starting because he was young at the time, but he scored for me 78 goals, a 26-goal average per season.

"I had another one, called (Diego) Milito. He played one season for me, he scored 30 goals, he won three titles. Of course, the average is 30.

"I had another guy, he played for me one and a half seasons because of injury. A tall guy, named Zlatan (Ibrahimovic). He scored 58 goals, which gives a 29 average."

Dani Alves: Ronaldo Can Ruin You

It should be noted that Drogba did not scored 186 goals under Mourinho at Chelsea, but rather 73 goals in 186 matches.

Do you think Kane will remain at Spurs beyond this season? Let us know in the comments section below.

Related tags