Tottenham's Harry Kane more stung by Euro 2020 final loss than failed Manchester City move?

Tottenham Hotspur striker and England captain Harry Kane was heavily linked with what would've been a massive move to reigning Premier League champions Manchester City before the summer transfer window closed on Aug. 31. That transaction never occurred, per conflicting reports, either because Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy refused to sell the three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, or because City never matched Levy's asking price for the 28-year-old. 

Shortly after Kane "committed his future" to his current employer in August, he said he didn't believe rumors suggesting he wanted to leave Tottenham for City would damage his reputation. However, he's scored only once in 10 Premier League appearances early into a season that saw his club recently replace coach Nuno Espirito Santo with Antonio Conte, widely respected as one of the world's top managers. 

While speaking Thursday ahead of upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Kane explained England's loss to Italy in the final of the UEFA European Championship this summer "stings" and "will stay with" him throughout his career much more than what could have been had Tottenham cleared him to sign for City. 

"There was a lot of talk, a lot of speculation over the summer -- the first real time that probably happened to me in my career -- but that's part and parcel of learning, part and parcel of being a big player, having to deal with those situations and I think I dealt with it well," Kane said of the rumors, according to James Olley of ESPN. "Now it is about focusing. There is still a long way to go at club level and now for me it is about finishing these two games strong with England and finishing off what has been a great calendar year."

Kane also mentioned being impacted by the grind of finishing a season, featuring for the Three Lions at Euro 2020, and then returning to domestic play as a potential reason for his slow start to the current campaign.

"So, it almost becomes a bit of a whirlwind sometimes so it is about just adapting to that, getting back into the swing of things as quickly as possible," Kane added. "From my point of view, it is always about getting back to the basics, getting back to the training pitch, working hard there and doing my best.

"Obviously we play a lot of games throughout the year and there is not much time to recover and reflect on things. Any chance you can just get on that training pitch, work on a few things, get back to what you know best is important. That's definitely what I tried to do."

Knowing how Conte has leaned on forwards and elite goal-scorers in the past, there's little doubt he has big plans for Kane that go beyond the January transfer window. Thus, the England international would do well to understand he'll likely remain with Tottenham until at least next July.