YES , HE KANE
New boss can return England skipper back to best says Gareth
GARETH SOUTHGATE is convinced Antonio Conte has arrived at Tottenham just in the nick of time to resurrect Harry Kane.
Following a turbulent summer amid his failed attempt to join Manchester City, the prolific England marksman has been a shadow of his normal lethal self.
One goal in 10 league games, five of which ended in defeat and ultimately led to the sacking of Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo on Monday, represents a desperate return.
Southgate (right) insists he has no concerns over Kane’s England form – even if he did fire blanks in the 1-1 draw against Hungary last time out.
However, he definitely believes that Conte’s swift appointment as Nuno’s successor only spells good news for the nation’s out-of-sorts talisman.
The Three Lions chief said: “Antonio coming in is probably a good thing from Harry’s personal point of view.
“Knowing Antonio as I do, an outstanding coach and a very good man, I’m sure he’ll get a reaction out of Harry very quickly.
“It’s been a really complicated summer for Harry. It was a very difficult situation for everybody.
“Nuno went into a club where the relationship with Harry is the first thing you are dealing with – a player who’s asked to leave.
“Harry’s ended up with an adverse reaction from some of the fans there. So he’s had to deal with a lot of unintentional consequences of the possible move in the summer.
“Now there’s a chance for Harry to put everything behind him. He understood and announced he wanted to stay.
“Now there’s a change of manager. I think there’s a fresh start for him and it will be a good stimulus for him.”
Even if he has been struggling with the North Londoners – and was even booed during the defeat to Manchester United last week – Kane’s England record remains exceptional. It is so good that
Southgate can’t envisage dropping him for a major game – although he is prepared to hook him if things need shaking up.
That happened against Hungary, as well as twice during England’s run to the Euro 2020 final.
Southgate added: “Harry has 41 goals in 65 internationals. If we need to win a game there’s nobody we trust more, if a chance drops, than Harry. He’s the outstanding centre forward of his generation.
“That doesn’t mean I’ve avoided taking him off a couple of times but he’s the one we have faith in.”
Ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Albania and San Marino, England trio Kane, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford had scored FOUR league goals between them this season.
Southgate is not overly worried, adding: “There’s no reason why goals can’t come from all around the team.
“But you also can’t ignore that our biggest threats have been Kane and Sterling.”