‘He’s ready to be the protagonist’ – Antonio Conte builds up Harry Kane form ahead of World Cup

Harry Kane will arrive in Qatar ready to be England’s main man as the Three Lions look to capture the World Cup for the first time in 56 years.

Kane, 29, levelled the scores at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 15 minutes after Crysencio Summerville’s opener.

It proved to be a real ding-dong encounter, with Spurs just edging out Jesse Marsch’s side to remain third in the table before the World Cup break.

And it was another reminder of Kane’s quality. He now has seven goals in his last seven home matches, and 12 league goals in just 15 games this season.

“I have to be honest, in this period Harry played a really important role,” Conte told a post-match press conference.

“If we finished this period in the top four and qualified for the top four, I think we have to praise Harry a lot because we have had many injuries at the front.

“[Dejan] Kulusevski only played this game, we lost Richarlison and without Lucas [Moura] from the start. Sonny [Son Heung-min] you know also, he struggled a bit in the start of the season.

“I think Harry honestly deserves great praise because he is always an important player but in this period, there was a lot of weight on his shoulders and he played in a great way.

“He’s arriving at the World Cup with plenty of enthusiasm, in a great physical condition and he’s mentally stronger.

“I think he’s ready and I can see it in his eyes, he’s ready to be the protagonist.”

Kane goes into the World Cup just two goals behind Rooney’s all-time record for England with 51.