sport news Antonio Conte backs Tottenham striker Harry Kane to star at the World Cup trends now
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A nation would have held its collective breath had it seen Harry Kane turn towards the corner flag, running down the clock as the dervishes of Leeds whirled around, hurtling into tackles in a race against time.
It had been a thrilling contest in north London. Full-throttle commitment from players bound for the World Cup in the coming days and forgiven if at the back of their minds they harboured concerns about the prospect of injury.
None more so than Kane. English hopes hinge on his form and fitness, and Antonio Conte turned up the jeopardy when he revealed after the defeat at Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday that his star striker was on the brink of exhaustion.
Harry Kane and Rodrigo Bentancur starred in Tottenham's win against Leeds on Saturday
Still, Kane played another 90 minutes against Leeds, his 13th start for Spurs in 43 days since the last international break. He scored. He impressed. He held up the ball and absorbed the contact in a bruising game.
His goal really ought to have been ruled out for a foul by Clement Lenglet, and the match-winning heroics were left to Rodrigo Bentancur, who scored twice in two minutes to flip the result on its head, but everyone emerged relatively unscathed, including the England captain.
No ankle twist. No metatarsal fears. Kane’s pursuit of domestic records is paused on 195 Premier League goals. He is only five off the Tottenham record of 266 held for more than half a century by Jimmy Greaves.
Now he turns attention towards the World Cup, two behind Wayne Rooney’s England record of 53 goals. ‘I see in his eyes the desire to be a protagonist in the best competition in the world, in the World Cup,’ said Conte. ‘I know he wants to play an amazing tournament.’
Quietly, Kane is having an excellent season. His 12 goals have been eclipsed by Erling Haaland’s 18, and by the debate about Tottenham’s style of play under
