Mali star Kanoute has been a big success with Sevilla

The 30-year-old Mali striker played for Ramos at Sevilla before the Spaniard left to take over the reins at Spurs.

Speaking at the Africa Cup of Nations, Kanoute told the BBC: "I like Ramos as a coach. He has been very good with me, and I like the way he works.

"If he asked me [about a return], I would have to think about it because it is an important time in my career."

Kanoute, who scored in Mali's opening 1-0 win over Benin in Ghana, played for Spurs between 2003 and 2005, scoring 21 goals, having previously made his debut in English football with West Ham.

The Hammers signed the French-born forward from Olympique Lyonnais in 2000, and he netted 31 times in 91 games for the Hammers before joining Spurs.

Since his move to Spain, Kanoute has become one of La Liga's top marksmen and helped Sevilla win the Uefa Cup twice under Ramos.

He added: "At the moment I feel good about things at Sevilla, but we'll see. I would need to reflect a lot before taking any decision."