Tuchel has 'no crystal ball' but Kane remains talisman

Thomas Tuchel admires Harry Kane's desire to play into his forties, but it's the 2026 World Cup he wants him primed for

- RICHARD JOLLY

Harry Kane was already in his thirties, albeit by less than two weeks, when Thomas Tuchel agreed to pay €100m for him. Bayern Munich have since seen a return in the form of 82 goals in two seasons and if Tuchel need not worry how much resale value the striker has, he only needs to concern himself if Kane can keep going until a World Cup that ends just before his 33rd birthday.

The England captain has looked far further into the future, however. An admirer of Tom Brady, Kane has spoken of a desire to play into his forties. He admires Cristiano Ronaldo for his longevity and, at the age of 40, the Portugal captain has scored in both the Nations League semi-final and final in the last week. Can Kane follow in his footsteps? Tuchel believes it will not be easy. Ronaldo is an anomaly in many respects. His age is one of them.

Tuchel said: “I think it gets more and more difficult nowadays. Cristiano took a step into a not-as competitive a league as [the] Premier League or Spain as part of keeping his performance up. I think he is always the exception to the rule. We cannot go now from Cristiano Ronaldo and think everyone can play until 39 and 40 in today’s game. Harry has this natural ability to score goals. There are at the moment no signs he cannot do it at a high level. How long he can do it, I have not a crystal ball, [so] let’s see. He is in a club where they play dominant football, I think that can suit him. Just the outlook until the World Cup, he knows that it is a crucial year for him, also in terms of fitness and being ready to compete in the heat, in the humidity.”