Harry Kane's stunning season continues and Spurs must back him up

On Friday night, "Roy of the Rovers" was at it again. Just 78 seconds into his England debut against Lithuania on Friday night, Harry Kane scored his first international goal with a far-post header. Almost exactly a week earlier, the Spurs striker had scored his first Premier League hat trick in the 4-3 home win against Leicester. At times like this, the game must feel ridiculous for him.

Tottenham have been a three-man band all season. Without the efforts of Hugo Lloris, Christian Eriksen and Kane, the club would most likely be in the bottom half of the division and the supporters in near-open revolt.

Some of the team's performances have been relentlessly abject, others just relentlessly mediocre with crucial points gained in the dying minutes through moments of individual brilliance at both ends of the pitch from Spurs' three stars. Only in two games -- the home wins against Chelsea and Arsenal -- have Spurs played with the expected levels of desire, skill and pace over the full 90 minutes. Many fans are already ruing the prospect of another Europa League qualification; what we all too often forget is how close it has been to being so much worse.

Even in his elite group of three, Kane still stands head and shoulders above Lloris and Eriksen with regard to what he has brought to the club this season. It's partly a matter of expectations; Lloris and Eriksen were proven internationals while Kane appeared to arrive as if from nowhere.

Fans often like to talk about how they spotted certain players at the club on the way up and that they always knew they had what it took to become world-class. None of the supporters who sit anywhere near me, nor any of those who regularly contributed to the many prominent club blogs, spotted anything special about Kane in his few performances for the club over the previous seasons.

Harry Kane's stunning season shows no sign of stopping, but what matters now is Spurs backing him up.

Kane looked indistinguishable from any number of other hard-working, tall English centre-forwards whose careers have stalled in the country's top division. He lacked the 10 percent edge in pace, touch and positioning that separate the very best from the also-rans. In truth, it seemed very much as if that was the way the club saw him, too. He had enough about him not to be sold, but not enough to be guaranteed regular first-team action. Prior to this season, Kane spent most of his Spurs career out on loan.

Much the same looked to be in store for Kane again this season. Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado were expected to be Mauricio Pochettino's first-choice forwards, with Kane having to settle for the occasional cup game or appearance from the subs' bench. The rest is ...

Adebayor got ill with malaria in preseason and for reasons that haven't totally been explained, he's not looked like a Premier League footballer since. Soldado meanwhile has gone from bad to worse, his confidence now so badly shot that a move away is the only humane option. Kane only became the first-choice striker in October because Pochettino was out of any other options. Kane was the "least worst option." He at least looked as if he wanted to play.

What has happened since must be as pleasingly baffling to Kane as it is to everyone else at White Hart Lane. Putting his success down to playing with a renewed confidence only takes you so far; the 21-year-old also seems to have gained in pace and touch.

One piece of control in his brief outing against Lithuania was just breathtaking. Receiving a high through-ball over his left shoulder, he feathered the ball with his left foot without breaking stride to set up a chance for Theo Walcott. Sergio Aguero or Lionel Messi couldn't have done that any better.

Then there are his goals. There's no getting round it; Kane's goals have saved Spurs' season and the club need to think about ways of rewarding him. Not with money (Daniel Levy has already extended his contract), but by building a team around him. By giving him players that will give him the best chance to replicate that success in future seasons. Levy needs to be prepared to take some financial hits in the summer: it is a false economy hoping to recoup the outlay and running costs of players such as Erik Lamela, Paulinho, Soldado and Adebayor. Buying the players that Pochettino wants has to be the priority.

It could just be that Kane is having a golden season, one that will never be repeated. If so, we should enjoy it while we can. But Kane looks to be more than that. He looks to be the real deal. And the worst thing that could happen then would be to see him move to a club like Real Madrid, as Gareth Bale did, at the end of next season.