Harry Kane moved to praise Matt Doherty following the defender’s role in both of the England captain’s goals as Tottenham trounced Everton on Monday night.
The Republic of Ireland international had largely been derided as a poor signing until recent weeks after failing to convince following a move from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2020.
To many, the sight of Doherty and Emerson Royal was a prime example of how the level in the Spurs team had dropped since the Mauricio Pochettino era, during which Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier battled for a starting berth.
The 30-year-old, however, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Antonio Conte’s appointment of late and was one of the standout players in Monday night’s 5-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs’ only Premier League loss in their last four outings came when Doherty was rested away at Burnley and his last two games have yielded one goal and three assists.
Whether or not the Irishman is the long-term answer in a system that relies so heavily on wing-backs remains to be seen but Kane was effusive in praise when speaking to Sky Sports after the game.
“Great ball from Doughie (Doherty) there (to put) me one on one with the keeper and I’ll always back myself,” Kane said of his first goal.
“Doughie played the ball perfectly and it was one of them, coming over the shoulder, sometimes you take a swing at it and it comes off.”
