The image of Harry Kane jumping for joy and celebrating is a sight many at Old Trafford will want to keep seeing.
The 29-year-old was part of a devastating England attacking performance featuring Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka in a 7-0 win over North Macedonia in Group C.
The Three Lions captain opened the scoring by tapping a far-post finish after some clever wing play from Rashford and Luke Shaw.
The combination of Kane with the United duo to score in front of United’s famous Stretford End left open a feeling of what if? This is one of the world’s best strikers but also a player without any major honours to his name. After Declan Rice’s success with West Ham in Europe, Kane is also the only player in the starting eleven yet to lift a trophy.
Shaw himself didn’t hide his desire to see Kane join him in his pre-match comments, having also posted on Instagram that he gave him and Rice a ‘tour’ of their Carrington training ground before kick-off.
Tottenham will not sell their talisman to a Premier League rival but the dream isn’t dead, with just one year left on his deal and the transfer window open.
Saka, who won’t be leaving north London after agreeing a new deal at Arsenal, was also destructive. His first England hat trick featured three stunning goals, particularly his second.
His touch first touch and volley after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defence-splitting assist will surely go down as one of the greatest goals seen in Gareth Southgate’s time as manager.
Kane would be involved in six of the seven goals. He won the ball back high up the pitch for Rashford’s strike, produced a through ball for Saka’s third and his sheer presence caused the ball to fall at substitute Kalvin Phillips’s feet to seal a sixth late on.
An emphatic Kane penalty rounded off an dominant victory, his sixth goal in sixth England matches and 58th overall at the top of the scoring charts.
The free-flowing fluid football book ends a long season and leaves a feeling of hope for the future. That’s despite the absence of Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount through injury, while Phil Foden and Jack Grealish only got substitute appearances, with James Maddison left on the bench.
Shaw also said ahead of kick-off that England was full of players who could play in any team in the world, including his own.
It may be ‘only North Macedonia’ but it was a great exercise to show England’s ability to entertain and outgun rivals at the upcoming Euros in Germany next summer.
