Nuno Espírito Santo praised Harry Kane for helping Tottenham Hotspur to victory at Wolves in the striker's first appearance of the season. With Kane's future remaining uncertain as Manchester City contemplate whether to make another attempt to prise him from north London, the player came on as a 71st-minute substitute at Molineux, where Spurs won 1-0 thanks to an early penalty by Dele Alli.
Kane was applauded on to the pitch by the travelling fans, a gesture he reciprocated after the final whistle. “He did well, he helped the team,” said Nuno of the striker who could have marked his return with a goal but saw his shot saved by José Sá. “He is still in the process of improving his fitness. But he is one of the best players in the world. You can see he helped the team in possession.”
Nuno did not make any promises about the player’s future, declining even to say whether Kane would feature in Thursday’s Europa Conference League second leg against Paços de Ferreira. The manager said Kane is still working his way back to full fitness, the player having resumed training later than his teammates, apparently having had a different understanding of his schedule than his club did.
“He’s better today and he’ll be better tomorrow,” said Nuno of Kane’s fitness. “He can still improve, we cannot put a bar on that.”
The manager said he was happy with the way that Spurs supporters greeted Kane. “I was pleased with the attitude of the fans,” he said. “We have to be together. We have amazing fans and have to be thankful for that.”
Meanwhile the Wolves manager, Bruno Lage, was disappointed with the result of the first match at Molineux since his appointment but took encouragement from the performance. Wolves created many chances but lacked sharpness in front of goal.
“The way we created chances tells me for sure we are going to be good,” said Lage. “That’s the way I want us to play. We have only had five weeks together but what we are doing gives me confidence.” - Guardian
