Thursday 18 June 2015 10:26, UK
Harry Kane enjoyed an amazing season with Tottenham and is now being linked with a move to Manchester United. As the striker prepares for Under-21 action with England, his coach Gareth Southgate explains why everything is set up for Kane to keep scoring...
There is still a lingering suspicion about Kane. The belief that the man who scored 30 goals for Tottenham in 2014/15 and netted within minutes of his England debut might yet be nothing more than a flash in the pan. English fans daren’t dream that he is the real deal.
After all, superstars from overseas arrive as the finished product, not following difficult loan spells at Leicester City. Would Kane be more appreciated if viewed as a series of stats on Football Manager or judged on the basis of a YouTube video? A dispassionate assessment offers reasons for optimism.
You have to go back to Robbie Fowler and his teenage heroics at Liverpool to find a player younger than Kane who scored more goals in a Premier League season – and there were 42 games in those days. Fowler promptly went and scored even more the following season.
So why do these things sometimes go wrong? Why do players not always fulfil their potential? The reason is rarely due to an extraordinary purple patch simply coming to an end. It’s almost always as a result of an injury or temperament issues.
While luck plays its part in the former, the latter is within a player’s control. And it’s on this score that Gareth Southgate sees little cause for concern. The England Under-21 boss and former head of elite development knows the warning signs and sees only positives when it comes to the star striker.
When asked to explain his confidence in the player’s future, Southgate was frank. “Mentality, really,” he said. “Will he score exactly the same amount of goals? Difficult to say. Although the crowd that are playing every year in Spain tend to do that, don’t they? But I don’t see him being distracted by things.
“I think he wants to keep improving and there are more and more challenges ahead. He’s now established himself as a Premier League player but Harry’s one that’ll think, ‘Right, what’s next?’ He’ll want to push the team into European football, Champions League football.
“He won’t be just about what it means individually, he’ll want the team to succeed. He’s been very big on that when we’ve been together. He’s also surrounded by really good people. They’ll manage him well and they like to develop young players.
“None of us have a crystal ball to see how it’ll pan out but all of the signs - the support at home, the close family unit, play their part in the player remaining grounded and focused.”
Along with Danny Ings and Saido Berahino, Kane forms part of an exciting group of forward options for Southgate to utilise this summer. But it’s their attitude that stands out for the coach. “The three boys here have performed outstandingly well in the Premier League,” said Southgate.
“We’ve very fortunate to have three strikers with the ability to score goals but who also have the work ethic and the desire to be the best that they can be. They’re team players. I’ve played with a few strikers who were just about scoring goals and just about them but these three are different. So that’s a pleasure to work with really.”
Southgate admitted at St George’s Park last week that he’d followed Kane’s progress for Tottenham in their post-season tour - “It would be rare that I watch games between Malaysia and other teams but I did watch that” – anxious at the thought of being deprived of such an important player.
None of us have a crystal ball to see how it’ll pan out but all of the signs - the support at home, the close family unit, play their part in the player remaining grounded and focused.
But those concerns would not have just been for the team but also Kane as an individual. Southgate, like the player himself, is aware that this tournament offers the opportunity for the Spurs striker to elevate his status further.
He could join the likes of Luis Figo, Andrea Pirlo and Juan Mata in winning the Golden Player award. It’s within his capabilities. “Harry’s got the chance now to establish himself at a European level against the top teams in this age group. It is a different challenge. International football is a different challenge.
“If you look at the players that have played in this tournament, from the winning teams alone, there are some famous names there. This is where they announce themselves on that stage. For Harry and for all of the team, this is the opportunity that lies ahead of them.”
There is no reason to think Harry Kane won’t seize that opportunity.
