European Leagues

Bayern hail Kane after prolific start: ‘He can do anything’

GOAL MONSTER! Unstoppable Kane Breaks Another Record In UCL

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane arrived in Germany on a record-breaking transfer and his sensational goal-scoring run this season has already exceeded expectations and turned him into an instant fan favourite.

Kane joined Bayern from Tottenham in August for a Bundesliga-record €100 million ($106m) fee, with the German champions desperate to bring in a tested scorer to fill the goal-scoring gap created by last year’s departure of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona.

Kane, the England men’s all-time top scorer and the Premier League’s second all-time scorer, hit the ground running and has already bagged 21 goals in 15 matches in the Bundesliga and Champions League for Bayern.

“It is impressive,” beamed Bayern sports director Christoph Freund after Saturday’s double in their 4-2 victory over Heidenheim.

“He is playing away from the U.K. for the first time and then he scores like that. The team also plays him into position. He is a phenomenon.”

Kane’s two goals on Saturday took his league tally to 17 from 11 games, setting a league record for most goals at this stage, beating Lewandowski’s previous mark of 16.

Kane already has more goals after 11 Bundesliga matches than last season’s top scorers had in the entire campaign.

“I cannot tell you anything different,” Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said of Kane’s scoring run on Saturday. “The performances are telling a story. There is no need for any words.”

Kane has also scored four times in four Champions League group matches, with Bayern having already secured a spot in the knockout stage with two games to spare.

Among the highlights this season is his 60-metre looping shot from Bayern’s own half in their 8-0 demolition of Darmstadt 98, undoubtedly a candidate for goal of the season.

He also scored a hat trick in last week’s 4-0 victory at title rivals Borussia Dortmund, the first player to do so in their Klassiker debut.

“I believe he can do anything,” said Bayern teammate Thomas Müller. “We only need to bring him into position. If he gets to shoot anywhere near or inside the box then chances are the ball will go in.”

Club bosses are equally delighted with Kane’s goal bonanza, saying the move was the right one for both Bayern and the title-starved Kane.

“Absolutely fantastic,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said. “Obviously one is happy when things are working so well, having also been partly responsible for this transfer. I hope it continues like that.”

Kane’s scoring exploits have also forced some critics of the transfer to make a sharp U-turn. Among them is former Germany international Didi Hamann who had initially expressed doubts about how effective Kane would be in the Bundesliga.

“I never thought that he would score like that,” Hamann told Bild newspaper. “I mean he did not sign for three months but for four years and he gets great balls from team mates.”

“But still it is impressive because he is one of a few strikers who don’t have so much speed. But it shows you how clever he is as a player. Bayern did everything right. He is a phenomenon.”

European Leagues

EPL: I should have waited before starting Khusanov against Chelsea – Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted he made a mistake by starting Abdukodir Khusanov in Saturday’s Premier League match against Chelsea.

The new signing from Lens was at fault for Chelsea’s opening goal but improved as the game progressed, with City eventually securing a 3-1 victory.

Speaking to the club’s website, Guardiola reflected on his decision:

“Khusanov should not have played; he should have taken more time. It’s not easy against Chelsea in the Premier League when you come from another country and can’t really communicate with the teammates.

“He arrived without training and still has to figure out what to do and the process around it… Imagine going through what Khusanov has experienced and what happened, ‘Oh God!’”

Meanwhile, new City striker Omar Marmoush praised his teammate’s efforts, saying:
“Khusanov is an exceptional player, and I would like to congratulate him for his debut.”

Premier League

Jamie Vardy matches Ronaldo’s record in Leicester 2-1 win over Spurs

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has equaled a Premier League record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Vardy scored in Leicester’s surprising 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. After Richarlison gave Tottenham the lead in the 33rd minute, Vardy equalized just after halftime in the 46th minute.

Moroccan youngster Bilal El Khannouss then scored the winning goal in the 50th minute, securing the Foxes’ crucial three points and lifting them out of the relegation zone.

With this goal, Vardy became the fifth player aged 37 or older to be involved in 10 or more goals in a Premier League season, as noted by Squawka. The last player to achieve this feat was Ronaldo during his second stint at Manchester United, when he scored 18 goals and provided three assists in the 2021-22 season.

Ryan Giggs reached the milestone in the 2011-12 season, while Teddy Sheringham and Gary Speed were the first to accomplish it.

At 38 years old, Vardy continues to perform at the highest level, having contributed seven goals and three assists in 21 league appearances this season.

Premier League

‘He Can Never Play For Me Again’ – Man United’s Ruben Amorim slams Marcus Rashford

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital in his team than Marcus Rashford unless the out-of-favor forward starts to “give the maximum every day in training and in life.”

England international Rashford was left out of the team for the 11th successive game by Amorim during United’s 1-0 Premier League win at Fulham on Sunday.

The 27-year-old said last month that he was ready to seek a “new challenge” away from Old Trafford after being dropped for United’s 2-1 win against Manchester City at the Etihad on Dec. 15, but Rashford has so far been unable to find a new club during the January transfer window.

And despite strikers Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee scoring just one goal between them since the beginning of December, Amorim said he would not restore Rashford to the team unless he changes his attitude.

“It’s the same, it’s always the same reason,” Amorim said when asked why he continued to overlook Rashford. “The reason is the training, the way I see what footballers should do in training, in life, it’s every day, every detail.

“So if things don’t change, I will not change. It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum, if you do the right things, we can use every player. And you can see it today on the bench, we miss a little bit of pace to go and change the game, move some pieces.

“But I prefer it like that. I will put Vital on before I put a player on that don’t give the maximum every day. So I will not change in that department.”

Amorim, who arrived from Portuguese champions Sporting CP in November, celebrates his 40th birthday on Monday. But after the Fulham win, he said he feels much older after his brief stint at United.

“It’s not 40 … I’m 50!” he said. “After two months at Manchester United, it’s 50. It’s a privilege to spend my 40th birthday here. That feeling of winning and three points is really important for us. You cannot see a great improvement in the team and that is a fact, but to win helps us to improve.

“We’ve had some lack of luck in some games. Today, was not the best match but we managed to win. The important thing is I have a clear idea of what I want to do. Sometimes I’m frustrated. We want to play a different style and we are going to play a different style in the future.”