Kane says trophies more important than awards amid speculation over Spurs future

 

Tottenham striker Harry Kane says he would rather be winning trophies than amassing personal awards after landing another gong.

Harry Kane says winning personal honours is "bittersweet" given lifting trophies is his priority as speculation over the Tottenham striker's future rumbles on.

The England captain was named Premier League player of the year at the London Football Awards on Tuesday evening.

Kane continues to set the highest of standards for club and country, but the striker endured more agony when Manchester City beat Spurs 1-0 in the EFL Cup final on Sunday.

The prolific 27-year-old continues to be linked with a move away from his boyhood club and has stated that he will consider his future after Euro 2020.

Kane made his ambition crystal clear after landing another gong.

"Individual awards are great, they are fantastic achievements," he said in an interview with the Evening Standard.

"When I look back at the end of my career, I will go over it and take in a little bit more. The goal right now as a player is to win team trophies. As much as this [award] is great, I want to be winning the biggest prizes that there is to offer as a team and we are not quite doing that.

"It is one of those, it is bittersweet. I would rather be winning team trophies and this award. It is what it is. I am proud to win it. It means it has been a good season on the pitch, so I have just got to try and continue what I am doing."

Kane is the leading goalscorer in the Premier League this season with 21 from 30 games, with his 125 minutes per goal ratio better than he has achieved in the previous two top-flight campaigns.

He is hungry to become the leading Premier League scorer of all time, with another 97 goals needed to pass Alan Shearer's tally of 260, and is 20 goals shy of surpassing Wayne Rooney's record England haul of 53.

Yet he says that gloss would be taken off those achievements if he finishes his career with a lack of trophies.

He said: "When you come to individual achievements, I think that [being the record Premier League goalscorer] is definitely right up there. There have been so many great players over the years in the Premier League.

"You look at the names on the top 10, the top 20 and you think of how many goals and seasons they've played.

"For sure, if I finish my career as Premier League top goalscorer and, hopefully, England top goalscorer, that'd be incredible — but it wouldn't feel as good if I didn't have a lot of team trophies to go with that. If I didn't have the Premier League or a European Championships to go with that.

"From an individual point of view, of course that's the end goal, to try and score as many goals as possible and be at the top of those charts. But, for sure, without winning the biggest trophies as a team, it wouldn't feel as good."