Harry Kane full-time Newcastle actions speak volumes about Tottenham dressing room

Harry Kane once again displayed what we already knew – he is Tottenham’s only credible leader – as he ordered his team-mates over to applaud the travelling Spurs supporters following their embarrassing 6-1 collapse at Newcastle. This was a shameful performance that will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons in north London and Daniel Levy now faces a monstrous task to attract a top-level head coach to inherit this utter mess.

Kane scored a second-half consolation for his side after Newcastle raced into a stunning 5-0 lead inside 20 minutes as the away end quickly dispersed to make the long 250-mile trip back to the capital.

Fans were spotted leaving inside eight minutes after Tottenham went 3-0 down courtesy of two quick-fire goals from Jacob Murphy and one from Joelinton.

Alexander Isak then got in on the act with a double before Callum Wilson restored Newcastle’s five-goal cushion in the second half to make the score 6-1.

To the surprise of many, there were still large numbers of Tottenham supporters in the crowd at the full-time whistle when many of Spurs’ players were desperate to get off the field after an afternoon to forget.

But Kane made a point of telling his dejected team-mates to go over and show their appreciation to their supporters, who had wasted their hard-earned cash on the mammoth journey to the North East.

Kane’s future will once again be thrown into question following the heavy defeat which poses huge doubts about Tottenham’s future prospects of competing for silverware.

Cristian Stellini’s decision to switch to four at the back proved to be a disastrous decision but it was the lack of character and leadership that really stuck out like a sore thumb.

Eric Dier and Cristian Romero were ruthlessly torn apart while January signing Pedro Porro struggled to contend with the tempo of Newcastle’s attacks.

Captain Hugo Lloris was also subbed at half-time and although it was reportedly injury-related, the Frenchman could have easily been withdrawn on the basis of his performance.

Kane now needs to decide whether he wishes to continue with Tottenham where his chances of winning silverware are likely to be minimal moving forward.

He has just one year remaining on his current contract and with Manchester United shopping for a marquee striker this summer, he is likely to be the subject of strong interest at the end of the season.

The England captain is understood to be open to the idea of extending his contract but still, he will need to see guarantees from Tottenham hierarchy that they are prepared to fund a potential turnaround.

Champions League qualification is also likely to have some bearing on his future particularly if it’s on offer elsewhere when he sits down to assess his options.

Tottenham are now six points adrift of Manchester Untied in fourth but they have played two games more than the Red Devils, who they still have to face on home soil.

Julian Nagelsmann is said to be interested in the managerial vacancy but the German may want to reassess his stance on taking the job after the one-sided whitewash at St James’ Park.

Mauricio Pochettino was also available for a sensational return to north London this summer but he is now the frontrunner to take over at Chelsea at the end of the season.