Harry Kane Is Approaching A Career Crossroads Which Will Define Him

Secretly, Harry Kane was probably rather grateful to hear that the Premier League season had been postponed due to the global coronavirus crisis. The Tottenham Hotspur striker was, after all, set to miss the rest of the 2019/20 campaign through injury. Not only this, Kane was in a race against time to be fit for the summer’s European Championships, where he was set to captain England.

Now, Kane stands a much better chance of finishing the current season on the pitch with Spurs, with play suspended until the end of April and fixtures unlikely to resume until the summer, with Euro 2020 also pushed back by 12 months to 2021. While group training remains difficult in the current climate, Kane can continue his rehabilitation in this time.

“From a rehab point of view and personal point of view, I’m doing really well,” Kane explained in an interview given to Tottenham’s official website. “I’m at a good stage now and just working hard, doing a lot of recovery, a lot of rehab and just waiting to see what happens to the season. I’m not too far away, I’d normally hope to be back with the team in two or three weeks. I’m at a good stage, pretty much doing everything, now it’s about building up my fitness.”

This unexpected layoff gives Kane more than an opportunity to get fit. In truth, the 26-year-old hasn’t been himself for a long time. Kane’s troubles can be traced back to before the 2018 World Cup in Russia when the centre forward faced another race against time to be fit for a major tournament. 

Kane went on to win the Golden Boot for the 2018 World Cup, but his below par performances belied the impressive numbers he charted. From that point Kane went into a gruelling 2018/19 season with Tottenham which ended with defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League final. He was barely afforded a break to rest and recuperate.

It’s this relentlessness that has taken a toll on Kane’s game. His performance levels have dipped over the past two seasons. What’s more, the striker has suffered something of an identity crisis over this time. At times, Kane is guilty of trying to involve himself too much, dropping deep into the midfield to pick up the ball when he should be leading the line further up the pitch.

Jose Mourinho seemed to recognise this upon his arrival at Tottenham in November, instructing Kane to stay in the penalty box as much as possible. This was starting to produce results, with the 26-year-old scoring seven times in 10 appearances under the Portuguese coach before injury struck.

There is the sense that Kane is approaching something of a career crossroads. At the pace of the last few seasons he is on course to one day become the top scorer of the Premier League era, surpassing numbers charted by the likes of Sergio Aguero, Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer and the rest.

But Kane is surely now questioning whether Spurs is the best place for him to realise his full potential as one of the best players of his generation. This has led to speculation that Manchester United could make a move for the striker this summer, with Real Madrid long rumoured to hold an interest.

Whether it’s at Tottenham or someone else, Kane must find his vitality again. While the coronavirus crisis has disrupted football’s rhythm, there is a silver lining to this for the 26-year-old. This time away from the game should give him the space and freedom to reevaluate and refocus ahead of the years which will define his career.