Kane exclusive: 'It's been a squad campaign in Europe'

Harry Kane has paid tribute to the players who’ve fired us into the Champions League Final in his absence.

Our home-grown striker has been forced to watch on from the sidelines in recent weeks as we’ve seen off Manchester City and Ajax in sensational late fashion to plot an unprecedented path to the biggest game in European club football on 1 June.

Injured in the first leg of our quarter-final clash with Manchester City, Harry saw Heung-Min Son score three times over the two games against the Premier League title-winners before Fernando Llorente bagged the goal that ultimately sent us through after stoppage-time VAR drama at the Etihad last month.

And he was there in Amsterdam to join the lads as Lucas Moura’s incredible hat-trick saw us come back from the brink to get through our semi-final against Ajax and book a dream date with Liverpool in Madrid.

Naturally disappointed to miss out on such iconic moments, Harry is nevertheless full of pride for the way the team has battled through and has lifted the lid on the buoyant mood around Hotspur Way as all roads lead to the Spanish capital.

“It’s all part of the team effort,” he said. “We’ve dealt with setbacks all season – most of our players have been injured at some stage this year but whoever has come in, they’ve stepped up and done the job and that’s the important thing about the squad.

“Especially in competitions like the Champions League, you need everyone. Players have been suspended, lads have been injured but everyone has come in and really done well. Of course, whoever the gaffer chooses to play in the final or to be on the bench will be ready – it’s been a squad campaign so hopefully we’ll win in Madrid and then we can celebrate all together.”

With the last game of the Premier League season against Everton – a 2-2 draw last Sunday which solidified our place in the top four – now firmly in the rear view mirror, Harry says the players are remaining grounded ahead of next month’s historic encounter.

“The atmosphere around the place is great to be honest,” he smiled. “It’s a strange situation to be in, to not have a game for three weeks. This week has just been about the players recovering and preparing, getting a bit of freshness back in the legs and next week will be more preparation, more stuff to do with the game and more tactical work I guess.

“It’s a hard one because it’s such a big game. You try not to think about it but it always pops into your mind during the day so it’s just about staying focused and not getting too carried away. Obviously the build-up is going to get bigger and bigger as we get closer to the game so it’s important for all the players to keep doing what we’ve done all season, keep working hard, keep training as we would do and obviously prepare as well as we can.”