Harry Kane set aside the uncertainty surrounding his future and scored four times in Tottenham‘s 5-1 pre-season friendly win against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Throughout the summer, Bayern Munich has shown interest in signing Kane, and the German club reportedly made their latest bid for the forward on Friday.
Bayern apparently set a self-imposed deadline of midnight, but there have been no further updates on the outcome of the bid. Despite this, Kane showed no signs of being distracted, as he scored a hat-trick in just 55 minutes against Shakhtar while continuously being cheered on by the home crowd.
The match on Sunday marked new manager Ange Postecoglou’s first at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he was introduced with strong applause before kick-off.
The decibel levels increased even more when Kane’s name was announced in the starting line-up, and he was given the captain’s armband in the absence of Hugo Lloris.
After Kane’s first two shots were saved, he scored his first goal in the 38th minute, firing home from the penalty spot after James Maddison was brought down in the area.
Shakhtar managed to level just before half-time when Kevin Kelsy headed in from close-range, but the focus was soon back on Kane.
In the 50th minute, Maddison again combined with his England teammate, crossing the ball for Kane to nod in at the back post.
Kane completed his hat-trick five minutes later when Son passed to Dejan Kulusevski, who slipped the ball between Mykola Matviyenko’s legs, and Kane expertly drilled it into the bottom corner.
Even before his hat-trick, Spurs’ all-time leading goal-scorer had already heard several renditions of ‘he’s one of our own’ from the fans. However, after his third goal, a section of the South Stand chanted ‘we want you to stay’, expressing their desire for him to remain at the club.
Kane wasn’t done yet, as he scored once more in the 79th minute when substitute Manor Solomon’s curled shot was saved, and Kane tapped it in from close-range.
A minute later, Postecoglou replaced Kane, and as he left the pitch, he received a standing ovation. In response, Kane applauded all four corners of the ground, showing his appreciation to the fans.
Academy graduate Dane Scarlett replaced Kane and scored with the last kick of the game, executing a fine left-footed effort from Kulusevski’s cross.
At full-time, Kane walked over to each side of the stadium on his own, clapping the fans still in attendance. Tottenham supporters hope this won’t be the last time they see their beloved all-time leading goal-scorer in action.