Harry Kane has refused to say whether he has spoken to Antonio Conte about his Tottenham Hotspur future, with the England captain reiterating that his sole focus is on ensuring the club finishes fourth in the Premier League.
Speaking at St George's Park ahead of the national team's first game of the calendar year, against Switzerland at Wembley on Saturday evening, the 28-year-old sidestepped a number of questions about his club status beyond the summer but did share some effusive praise of the Spurs head coach. Kane is aiming to end 2022 by lifiting the World Cup in Qatar, but when it was put to him that he may benefit from not having doubts around his club future hovering over his head, like before last summer's European Championship, he refused to be drawn in.
READ MORE: Spurs player ratings - the season so far
"Obviously my main focus is just finishing this season first and foremost," Kane said. "We're still in competition for the top four. I can't control what will happen in the future. It's a big year for everyone, not just me. It's about controlling what I can control and doing what I can on the pitch. It's important over the summer to stay focused on that and look forward to a fantastic tournament."
Asked a follow up around whether he has spoken to Conte about his future, Kane added: "I'm not going to get into personal discussion between me and the manager. My main focus is to finish the season as well as possible. We have a big race to finish top four. The next ten games is all I'm focused on."
But he was willing to elaborate far more on Conte's influence and made a not so subtle dig at his predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo when it came to his conditioning and training load. After a sluggish start to the campaign, Kane has seven goals and three assists in his past eight games..
"He's a fantastic coach," Kane added of Conte. "We get on really well. He brings ideas to the game, how he wants me and the strikers to play. I've learnt different aspects of the game under him. I feel physically better knowing we train and work hard every day.
"I feel the benefit of that in how I feel physically and mentally with that sharpness. I'm in a really good place. I'm in good form but I feel like I can keep improving and Antoino will definitely keep pushing me to my limits. I enjoy having someone like that as a manager."
