HARRY KANE IS the outstanding candidate to win PFA Player of the Year but should not be rushed into the England first team, according to Arsenal legend and former Three Lions international Ian Wright.
Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania saw Kane continue his remarkable rise to prominence this season, scoring a first senior England goal just 79 seconds after entering the field as a second-half substitute at Wembley.
An impressive tally of 19 goals in just 26 Premier League appearances has left Kane in pole position to scoop the PFA Young Player of the Year gong, but Wright believes the Tottenham talisman has done enough to follow in the footsteps of Gareth Bale in 2013 and claim the senior award too.
“When you look at it, he’s the outstanding candidate,” Wright told Goal. “He’s been consistent and the main guy.
“No one else comes to mind straight off the bat, which is quite unusual. Usually there are two or three, but not this year.
“People talk about Eden Hazard but he’s kind of eased off a bit. Chelsea’s form has dipped and that’s coincided with the fact that it’s not going as well for Eden Hazard as it was.
“Harry has been brilliant for Tottenham – he’s been their main man and answered all the questions.”
Wright is also impressed by what he has seen of Kane in an England shirt, though he hopes Roy Hodgson shows patience in managing the youngster’s international exposure.
“We saw his debut [against Lithuania] and the game against Italy was a really good learning curve,” he added. “The Italian team’s midfield and forwards weren’t as experienced as the defence, so he had a real test against Chiellini and Bonucci and he came through it really well.
“He got better as the game went on and had a couple of good strikes. He’s somebody we should be excited about and hopefully we won’t try to fast-track him — just let him ease into it. I feel there are green shoots where he and Wayne Rooney look like they can get something going.”
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