Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane has praised Pape Matar Sarr for his performance at AC Milan. But the striker adds Spurs will need him to replicate his Champions League exploits.
The Rossoneri edged a 1-0 affair at San Siro in the first leg of their Round of 16 meeting on Tuesday. Antonio Conte had to use Sarr in his midfield beside Oliver Skipp with Tottenham depleted. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was suspended after taking three yellow cards in Group D.
Spurs have also lost Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma after recent injuries. Sky Sports News (14/02, 11:36) reports the former possibly faces up to eight months out after surgery on his knee. Bissouma had an operation on an ankle injury and will face a lengthy absence.
Sarr had never played in the Champions League before starting for Tottenham at AC Milan on Tuesday. Conte left the 20-year-old as an unused substitute in five of Spurs’ six Group D fixtures. He did not make their matchday squad for the 2-0 defeat away to Sporting Lisbon.
This season also marked the 12-cap Senegal star’s first campaign with UEFA football on the schedule. He finally arrived in north London from FC Metz last summer after a £14.5m deal in 2021. Each of Sarr’s 59 outings for Les Grenats came in Ligue 1 or the Coupe de France.
Kane issues a glowing verdict on Sarr’s display in Tottenham’s defeat at AC Milan
Even this season, Conte has seldom given Sarr a chance to feature for Tottenham. The 6ft ace made just his sixth appearance of the campaign across all competitions at AC Milan on Tuesday. He has also only played for 315 minutes and has now started in just three games.
Conte gave Sarr a surprise first Premier League start in the north London derby as Arsenal won 2-0 in January. The Spurs boss then benched the midfielder and did not use him in the top-flight again before Bentancur ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament at Leicester City.
With Bentancur and Bissouma now out for lengthy parts of the season, Kane urges Sarr to replicate the performance he gave Tottenham at AC Milan. The Senegal ace impressed the England captain at San Siro. He also believes the midfielder can only build on the display.
“He’s got fantastic quality,” Kane has told the Evening Standard. “He was everywhere last night: breaking up play, tracking back, making tackles, shots, crosses.
“He’s a player who has all the ability and he’ll only get better from experiences like last night, playing a really good team [and] a really good midfield.
“We’re happy with him, the boss trusts him. That’s why he’s playing and we’re going to need those types of performances for the rest of the season.”
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