Manager Thomas Tuchel has described Harry Kane as ‘top of the list’ of players he has worked with and the England captain has his sights set on next year’s World Cup glory.
Kane, who missed last week’s friendly against Wales due to injury, scored twice as England beat Latvia 5-0 to qualify for the 2026 FIFA flagship competition.
England have now qualified for their eighth consecutive World Cup and will be one of the favorites to reach the top of the 48-team competition next year.
Kane, on the other hand, continued to perform incredibly well. The Bayern Munich star has scored 18 goals in 10 games for the club this season, and three for England.
Asked if Kane, who he also worked with at Bayern, was one of the best strikers he had ever coached, Tuchel told ITV Sport: “He’s at the top of the list.”
“He is in top shape mentally and physically and is full of confidence.”
It was a similar sentiment for Kane, who set a new Three Lions record by scoring his 13th multiple goals in a match for his country, surpassing Nat Lofthouse (12 goals) in the process.
“I think so,” the former Tottenham forward told BBC Radio 5 Live when asked if he was in the best form of his career.
“The numbers are there, but we’re in a good period right now, just looking at the way we feel on the pitch, the way we look at passes and runs. Hopefully we can keep this up.”
13 – This is the 13th time Harry Kane has scored more than one goal in a game for England, surpassing Nat Lofthouse’s 12 and becoming a new Three Lions record. pic.twitter.com/5KUsDr1iWi
– Optajoe (@optajoe) October 14, 2025
Kane is extremely excited about what happens next year, as England have not conceded competitive goals under Tuchel and the likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden are not even included in this latest squad.
“It was a great game for us. We talked about building momentum before. We had another great camp. We’re proud to have qualified with two games left, but it’s not as easy as it looks. It’s another tournament to look forward to,” he added.
“After the Serbia game, we spoke to the group about increasing the momentum we feel together. It’s important to keep the ball rolling. We still have two big games in November camp. Every moment counts. It’s important to build something special. We’ve been doing that the last few camps.”
“Next summer in America will be special, and we will all feel it. We must never take this moment for granted.
“Sometimes it sounds like you’re taking a high risk. Sometimes if you act early and get the ball back early, you’re the one with the most possession.”
“We want to be an aggressive team and we’re going to be playing tougher tests and better teams, so this is all great practice for then.”