Kane targets FA Cup to complete a ‘very good season’ for Tottenham

Harry Kane insisted Tottenham Hotspur must win the FA Cup to regard this season as a success.

Fit-again Kane returned weeks ahead of schedule after ankle ligament trouble in Sunday’s 3-1 Premier League win at Chelsea.

Tottenham’s first victory at Stamford Bridge since 1990 opened up an eight-point gap to fifth-placed Chelsea, leaving Mauricio Pochettino’s men in pole position for the fourth and final Uefa Champions League qualification berth.

Tottenham will face Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals on April 21, with Kane now targeting silverware to top a productive campaign for the London club.

Tottenham have not won the FA Cup for 27 years and their last trophy, the League Cup, came 10 years ago.

“Champions League football is a must and we’re in a great position,” Kane told reporters.

“I think we’ve got to try and win the FA Cup. If we do that, we can say it’s been a very good season.”

Kane added it is important that Tottenham establish themselves as a consistent force.

“Obviously [Manchester] City have run away with the league this year, and fair play to them,” he said. “But for us, it’s about maintaining the Champions League every year and hopefully we can do that. We’re in a comfortable position, we’ve got to go on and finish well.

“We don’t just want to be a team that gets there one or two years and then falls off. We deserve to be there. We showed this year in the Champions League that we can compete with the best.

“It was disappointing to go out but we had some great results, so we want to be there again next year and do the same.”

Meanwhile, Dele Alli will win back England manager Gareth Southgate’s trust with more showstopping turns like his two goals at Chelsea, according to Mauricio Pochettino.

The midfielder’s two second-half strikes highlighted an impressive performance and his manager was pleased with how he had bounced back from being left out of the England side that drew with Italy last week in their friendly.

“Dele is not going to be affected if he plays or doesn’t play,” Pochettino said of Alli.

“If he doesn’t play for the international team he needs to fight and win trust and confidence again. The only way to do that is doing what he did today. Scoring goals and the performance he did today.”

Pochettino echoed Kane’s thoughts that with a healthy gap to Chelsea they are in a strong position to be in the Champions League for the third successive season next year, but added he does not want his side taking their foot off the gas.

“There is still a long way to the end, we need to be focused,” Pochettino said.