Lucas Moura has urged Tottenham to keep hold of Harry Kane and believes the England captain has been the most important factor in the club's rise over the past decade.
Kane is entering the final year of his contract and has remained tight-lipped on whether he has played his final game for Spurs, although the club are expected to rebuff any offers for the 29-year-old this summer.
Kane made it 30 League goals for the season with a well-taken double as Spurs won 4-1 at Elland Road on the final day, condemning Leeds to the Championship.
Lucas, who capped his final game for Tottenham with a brilliant stoppage-time goal, afterwards urged the club to keep Kane.
"It's very important," said the Brazilian. "The most important part in this process over the past 10 years, how the club changed the level, I think it’s Harry Kane. He was very, very important. To keep him is the key point. I hope he can stay to help the team next season and to win a title. I will be supporting him.
"He's a special player, an amazing player and an amazing team-mate. A big example for everyone, one of the best that I’ve played with. One of the best in England. He’s very, very important for Tottenham and the national team. For me it was a pleasure. I hope he can stay in this level and I will be supporting him for the rest of my career."
Lucas beat three Leeds players to poke home Spurs' fourth goal on Sunday, capping off a five-and-a-half year spell in north London in style. The 30-year-old has started just three games this season, and none in the Premier League, due to injuries and competition for places and the club has not offered him a new contract.
"What a way to finish," he said. "Good performance, when I scored I was looking for this goal for a while. It has been a tough season and it was a very special day. I’m very, very happy to end in this way. One more special moment that I will keep in my heart.
"Personally [the season] was very hard because I didn’t play a lot, I had a few problems with injuries and the team they struggled. We can do much, much better we know. But, yeah, what’s done is done. Now it’s time to recover. I’m sure they will do better in the next season.
"We need more consistency because I think we’ve had a very good squad in every season that I’ve played here, a quality squad. We had a few problems outside of the pitch but there are no words to explain. I think, like I said, the squad that we have, we could do much, much better. Now it’s time to look for the next season.
"The Premier League is very difficult. There are a lot of teams who can arrive. It’s very competitive but we can do better, we have a squad to do better, we have quality players to do better. But now it is not time to complain anymore."
Lucas will always be remembered at Spurs for his stunning second-half hat-trick against Ajax to book their place in the 2019 Champions League final, and Mauricio Pochettino's decision not to start him in the defeat by Liverpool in Madrid remains a talking point among fans.
Asked how he felt now to have been benched four years ago, Lucas said: “Everyone asks me this!
"Yes, the feeling was bad. I didn’t expect it. Of course I wanted to play but what can I say? It’s the coach’s decision. I just…mutual respect and I was so focused to win that game, to be champion that I didn’t let this affect me or affect the team. But of course I wanted to play. I didn’t expect to be on the bench."
