Tottenham’s Harry Kane is a “machine” who has the potential to be “number one in the world,” according to teammate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Kane scored a header in the 2-2 Premier League tie against Brentford, showing no indications of a World Cup hangover.
It was the captain’s first encounter since scoring one penalty and missing another in England’s 2-1 quarter-final loss to France.
“Underestimating his strength is a massive error,” Hojbjerg, who scored the equalizer, remarked.
“He’s a robot. He has the ability to be the best in the world. “Doubting Harry Kane is the biggest mistake you can make in football.”
Kane is England’s joint record goalscorer with 53 goals in 80 international games, but he missed a penalty earlier this month in Qatar that would have given him the outright lead and maybe forced extra time against France.
Kane, 29, posted on social media following his miss: “It’s all come down to a minor technicality, for which I accept responsibility.
There’s no getting around it; it hurts and will take some time to recover from, but that’s all part of the game.
“Now it’s all about putting the experience to good use in order to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge.”
Spurs trailed Brentford 2-0 following goals from Vitaly Janet and Ivan Toney before Kane equalized with a spectacular header, and Hojbjerg equalized six minutes later.
Brentford fans yelled “you let your country down” at Kane, and Spurs manager Antonio Conte was not surprised to see his striker score on Monday.
“I have no doubts about Harry’s mentality,” Conte stated. “He’s in an unusual predicament. He had a fantastic World Cup, and the team also performed admirably.
‘Special’ is praised by Frank. Toney Toney, 26, was playing in his first game since the Football Association accused him of 262 alleged betting violations. He has until January 4 to react to the allegations.
His goal was his 11th in the Premier League this season, putting him third behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (18) and Kane (13).
“I wish I knew how he does it because I would bottle it up and sell it for a fortune,” Brentford manager Thomas Frank remarked of Toney.
“He is very, very special; he has incredible character and mentality, as well as the capacity to focus on the present moment. Wow, his performance today.
“He has a natural inner determination to succeed.
