The National Times - Kane targets Champions League place after Spurs humble Everton

The England captain tried to leave Spurs last year after the club's alarming slide and, after another trophyless season, he may not be willing to settle for another year in second or third-tier European competitions.

Spurs' 5-0 home win against Everton on Monday -- in which Kane scored twice -- left them just three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand.

The forward reiterated his admiration for Italian manager Antonio Conte, who took over from the sacked Nuno Espirito Santo in November.

"I really enjoy working with him, so it's down to us players to take that responsibility," said Kane. "A lot of us want to be playing in the Champions League.

"We haven't played in it now for a couple of years but it's where we think the club should be."

Kane said Spurs, who reached the Champions League final in 2019 under former boss Mauricio Pochettino, needed to put together a run of wins despite tough fixtures coming up, starting with top-four rivals Manchester United on Saturday.

The forward's two goals on Monday moved him above Thierry Henry in the all-time list of Premier League goalscorers. He now has 176 goals -- with fourth-placed Sergio Aguero's tally of 184 firmly in his sights.

"I feel like I'm in a great place," said Kane. "I'm 28 now, I feel like physically I'm in a really good place.

"I feel mentally, my game understanding and my awareness on the pitch is at a really high level from just gaining experience over the years.

"Antonio has definitely given me more strings to my bow. I'm always someone who tries to improve. When I'm 35, 36 I'll still be trying to improve."

W.Baxter--TNT