Memories must have flashed through Harry Kane’s mind as he put the ball on the penalty spot.
That was the first penalty he had taken in an England jersey since sending the ball over the bar in the dying minutes of the Three Lions’ agonizing 2-1 World Cup quarter-final loss to France in Qatar 103 days earlier. With the extra burden of becoming his country’s all-time top goalscorer, Kane was the calmest guy inside the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
He dashed away to celebrate, a look of relief and joy on his face. He had surpassed Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 England goals, bringing his total to a record-ƅгҽɑ𝗸Ꭵ𝚗ɡ 54.
With him now at the top of England’s goalscoring rankings, he’ll be hoping to break Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 260 goals and seal his position in Premier League history as the division’s deadliest striker of all time. Nevertheless, despite setting several personal records, including becoming Tottenham Hotspur’s record striker earlier this season, Kane has yet to win a trophy in his career.
It is outrageous that a player of his brilliance and record-ƅгҽɑ𝗸Ꭵ𝚗ɡ numbers for both club and country has never won a major award. With his Tottenham contract expiring in June 2024 and the Londoners still no closer to ƅгҽɑ𝗸Ꭵ𝚗ɡ their 15-year trophy drought, this summer represents Kane’s golden opportunity to sever connections and go on, allowing him the chance to collect his first piece of silverware elsewhere.
It has been widely reported in recent months, United is keen to bolster its o/f/f/e/n/s/i/v/e options this summer by signing a new striker. Despite the club’s development under Erik Ten Hag this season, they still need an elite-level center-forward to proceed to the next step of their growth plan.
Kane, who Ten Hag has highlighted as his favorite target, has been considered one of United’s finest possibilities, alongside Napoli star Victor Osimhen. Both players have had outstanding seasons for their respective teams, scoring 48 goals between them. They are gaining deserved attention and respect.
With the duo seeming to be at the forefront of United’s quest for a striker, fans have been arguing who they feel would be a better match for the Reds and Ten Hag’s style of play, taking into consideration their experience, potential, ages, and a slew of other things. Like with everything in life, there has been a good discussion, with both parties gaining support.
Although Osimhen is five years Kane younger and has lots of future potential as an athletic, modern-day striker, Kane is an experienced Premier League operator, having scored more than 200 goals in the tournament throughout his career. In five of the previous eight Premier League seasons, he has scored 20 goals or more.
With a record like that, it deserves not just any trophy, but the Premier League championship. While United is still in the process of striving to accomplish that, based on their performance so far this season, you would ᵴɑү they are closer to leading the Premier League than Spurs are short.
Ten Hag has altered United’s fortunes, and they still have a chance to finish the season with three big championships. How successful could they be with Kane if they can do that without him at the top of the pitch?
Even though there have been some worries expressed regarding Kane’s age, the England captain has said that he intends to continue playing at the top level and establishing records for as long as possible, with Manchester City interested in signing him in the summer of 2021.
“I feel like I’ve got nearly another career left in me,” Kane added. “I’ve already enjoyed seven, eight years in the Premier League, so I’m not rushing anything, and I’m not impatient to achieve anything.
“I’m not s/c/a/r/e/d to admit that I want to be the greatest. I want to reach the same level as [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi. That is my ultimate goal: to win trophies year in and year out while also scoring 50, 60, and 70 goals.
“I still have so much to offer. I can achieve greater results than I am now doing.”
Kane has every reason to be confident in his ability to reach such statistics. He is one of the best attackers of all time, with an unrivaled record in front of goal. That is, nevertheless, a record worthy of recognition.
If he joins United, given their current form and plans under Ten Hag, he should be able to put an end to his drought. The Reds are back on track, whilst Tottenham, as Antonio Conte made plain last weekend, is a team without desire and content to finish the fourth year after year.
