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A loss to Seattle may have sent Toronto spiralling.

And no, we are not talking about the Blue Jays.

Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz blasted his team on Saturday after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Kraken, calling out his skaters for being “outworked” and saying “enough’s enough” just six games into the season.

Head coach Craig Berube and two of the team’s stars responded to his starter’s criticism on Monday.

Despite sitting just above .500 at 3-2-1, the Maple Leafs have allowed the eighth-most goals in the league, surrendering 20 in total while scoring 22 (tied for third).

Their latest loss came on a play in which William Nylander’s soft backcheck gave Seattle a clean look at the net. After the game, Stolarz — without saying Nylander’s name — called out the play as an example of not working hard enough.

Two days later, Nylander said “it’s all good.”

“We’re teammates. He’s a great guy,” said Nylander, whose 11 points (two goals, nine assists) lead the team.

“I pulled Willy aside, we had a conversation. Heâ€s someone I admire and someone I respect deeply. … He pushes me, I push him. Weâ€re a family in here and weâ€re looking to push each other and get to our ultimate goal at the end of the day,” Stolarz said.

Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews added that the team got together and talked after Stolarz’s comments.

“Weâ€re a veteran group in here. Weâ€re all big boys. We donâ€t need to beat around the bush,” he said.

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So maybe the jungles lining Delhi Golf Club’s narrow fairways aren’t so penal after all. Or at least the one on the left side of the 18th hole wasn’t on Saturday for Tommy Fleetwood.

Fleetwood, the 36-hole leader, had become a chaser after Keita Nakajima posted a bogey-free 65 to hold a three-shot lead at the DP World India Championship as Fleetwood finished his third round.

Both players were among the nearly 50% field this week, playing without a driver on a unique Delhi Golf Club layout that is basically cut into the jungle just outside one of the world’s largest cities. The fairways at the 6,912-yard course average just 25 yards wide.

Fleetwood nearly found out just what happens after an errant shot on his final hole Saturday. From the left first cut of rough at the finishing hole, Fleetwood went for the par-5 green in two with a long iron on the course’s longest hole and pulled it further left toward the thicket.

The crowd was quiet as Fleetwood’s ball headed toward what could have been a best-case unplayable lie and likely lost ball, but as it turns out, having thick jungle just off the fairway acts as a bumper sometimes.

In a genius stroke of luck, Fleetwood’s ball ricocheted off the trees and kicked right back into the middle of the fairway, just in front of the par-5 green in two.

From there, Fleetwood got up-and-down for birdie, regaining the shot he dropped with a three-putt on 17 and will go into Sunday’s final round at 15 under, in solo second, two back of Nakajima.

On a course where players fear an errant shot like no other venue we’ve seen in modern times, Fleetwood ended up a birdie after his worst shot of the week.

“Focus on that really good stuff and know that if I play like that, I’ve got a really good chance of scoring and shooting a good round,” he said of his position going into Sunday’s final round. “Two behind is kind of close enough where I’m still in control of it a little bit. Keita is not far enough ahead where he’s completely in control.”

Also in the hunt is Fleetwood’s Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry, who is just a shot further back at 14 under before a four-way tie at 13 that includes 2023 Open Championship winner Brian Harman.

I’m in a great position in this tournament. I like the golf course,” said Lowry, one player who is playing a driver this week. “I think it suits me, and I think I’ll have a low score out there. I’ve already shown that once this week. I’ll need a low one tomorrow to try and win.”

When the Yankees made the Juan Soto deal a couple of offseasons ago, Trent Grisham was seen as a throw-in.

His first season in pinstripes saw Grisham appear in just 76 games and was used primarily as a late-game defensive replacement. Fast forward to 2025 and Grisham became a revelation for the Yankees.

The 28-year-old had a career season and helped stabilize the Yankees outfield, playing center alongside Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge. But with the unceremonious end to the Yankees’ season, Grisham will be testing the market as a free agent.

With Bellinger testing free agency, and Judge being the only constant, the Yankees’ outfield could be in flux, but should they take a chance and bring back Grisham?

Aug 30, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring against the Chicago White Sox during the 11th inning at Rate Field. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Why Yankees should re-sign Trent Grisham

As presently constituted, the Yankees will have Judge play right field and potentially a bunch of kids manning the outfield. Jasson Dominguez will likely get another crack at becoming an everyday player, but what about the third outfield spot? The Yankees need stability as a win-now team, and they can’t possibly trot out two kids every game, and New York could do worse than bringing back Grisham.

Again, Grisham had his best offensive season in 2025. His 34 homers are twice as many as his previous career high (2022 with the Padres) and his 74 RBI are 12 more than his previous high in 2021. It wasn’t just his homers and RBI. Grisham set career marks in slugging (.464), hits (116), walks (82) and OPS (.811).

Grisham was also extremely clutch for the Yankees. According to FanGraphs, he hit .308 with seven home runs and 1.259 OPS in high-leverage situations, including five blasts with two outs and runners in scoring position.

And the former two-time Gold Glover is still very good in CF, despite his seemingly lackadaisical approach.

Grisham will also be a more affordable option than Bellinger or other free agent outfielders like Kyle Tucker, so there is a spot for Grisham if the Yankees are in need of a veteran outfielder.

New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham (12) during a game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. / John Jones-Imagn Images

Why Yankees should not re-sign Trent Grisham

Let’s face it. Do you expect Grisham to come close to his offensive production moving forward?

It’s very likely that 2025 Grisham is an outlier. His offensive numbers, especially his power, were way higher than in previous seasons. Here’s a breakdown of his numbers in his last five seasons:

• 2021: .242/.327/.413, .740 OPS, 15 HR (132 games)
• 2022: .184/.284/.341, .626 OPS, 17 HR (152 games)
• 2023: .198/.315/.352, .666 OPS, 13 HR (153 games)
• 2024: .190/.290/.385, .675 OPS, 9 HR (76 games)
• 2025: .235/.348/.464, .811 OPS, 34 HR (143 games)

Ok, if you want to roll the dice on Grisham, he picked a great time to have a career year. There could be a team out there that will believe the 2025 production and pay Grisham close to what he wants. What that number looks like is not clear, but at just 28 years old, Grisham could be looking for a long deal, or at least one with multiple options in it.

The Yankees can extend the qualifying offer to Grisham, which would cost the team $22.02 million in 2026 and could make other teams balk at offering him a nice contract if they don’t want to give up a draft pick to sign him. Could Grisham get a deal worth more than that qualifying offer? Perhaps, but the real question is, should the Yankees even extend that offer?

The Yankees could use that money toward bringing back Bellinger or even swinging for Tucker.

Jul 19, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) drives in a run on a fielder’s choice against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Truist Park. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Verdict

The one reason the Yankees should re-sign Grisham is if they believe the offensive production he delivered in 2025 is legit. But I have a hard time believing it is, and I don’t think they do either.

Now, should they extend the qualifying offer? Probably not. If Grisham can get a lucrative deal elsewhere, God bless him, but if the Yankees want to try and bring him back, make him a solid offer, but not one that would exceed what his QO would have been, and only after other options are off the table.

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“I am a bit biased,” said Giggs. “I was a winger who liked to make things happen and excite the fans.

“Sir Alex [Ferguson] used to say ‘give the guy who works in the factory something to smile about’.

“I liked to pass it forward, to run and try a difficult ball with the outside of my foot knowing the manager wasn’t necessarily going to have a go at me.”

While the current generation are highly skilled and technical, the criticism is that their individuality has been taken away by micro-management, in an era when every positional change is detailed and coaches are a constant presence on the sidelines telling players where to go.

Grealish’s experience is often cited as an example – a player who arrived at Manchester City from Aston Villa in 2021 as a British record signing, capable of the kind of magic Giggs possessed, but then had his ‘off-the-cuff’ style taken away by Pep Guardiola’s demand for possession.

“You don’t like to go back to your time, but it does look a bit strangled with certain quality players,” added Giggs.

“There are some, like Josh King at Fulham, and Martin Odegaard, who get me excited as well, so it is not everyone but yes, from when I first started, I think it is a bit more robotic, with the patterns of play and more defensive minded teams.”

With conventional wing play seemingly a dying art it appears the inverted winger will be around for a while.

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Going into Pittsburgh Penguins’ training camp this season, it’s safe to say that most folks did not have 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel making the NHL roster out of the gate.

Defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke? Maybe, but even that was a huge question mark. The Penguins had four right-side defenseman with NHL experience penciled in to crack the roster, even if Brunicke had already impressed the Penguins’ organization during his 2024 camp.

But, against all odds, both teenagers did make the NHL roster out of training camp and earned at least a nine-game trial with the big club.

Brunicke, 19, registered his first NHL goal Thursday in a 4-3 win against the New York Islanders, which was a beautiful wrist shot through a screen from the slot. Kindel, 18, scored his in the very next game – a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday – which was a Phil Kessel-esque long-range wrister from the right wing off the rush.

Both players have one goal and are a plus-1 after three NHL games. Both have shown improvement with each passing pre-season and regular season game. And both players could be sent back to the Western Hockey League (WHL) before their respective entry-level contracts kick in at Game No. 10.

Three games in, it is already looking like they no longer belong in junior hockey. Now, they’re making a very strong case to stick around for good.

It’s important to note that Kindel and Brunicke are not a package deal. One has an additional year of seasoning in junior hockey, they play different positions and fill different needs for this Penguins’ team, and they are at different places in their development, even if they are both showing well in the early parts of the season.

On A Night Of Firsts, Penguins Defeat Islanders, 4-3
It was a night of firsts for several Pittsburgh Penguins’ players in Thursday’s home opener against the New York Islanders.

For one, there is a size factor to consider, even if it should not be the deciding factor in terms of whether a player stays or goes. Brunicke is 6-foot-3, 201 pounds, while Kindel is 5-foot-11, 181 pounds. Development also looks different for forwards and defensemen. Oftentimes, it takes longer for defensemen to fully develop and settle into their NHL roles.

There is a very real possiblity that only one of them – even none of them – will stay in the NHL beyond nine games this season. There are players set to come off of injured reserve, including forwards Kevin Hayes and Rutger McGroarty, at some point. Hayes made the road trip to Southern California, meaning there is a chance he will play sometime this week.

For Hayes to be activated, someone has to go – whether that’s Hayes himself or someone else – as the Penguins are at their full 23-man roster capacity. With Ville Koivunen already optioned back to the AHL level, that means that no one on the roster is waiver-exempt aside from Kindel and Brunicke, neither of which are AHL-eligible and must be sent back to their junior teams.

If they are sent back to their junior teams, they must remain there until the end of their respective junior seasons. And something about that just doesn’t seem fair to either player.

Youth Movement Cultivating Fresh Identity For Penguins
On Thursday night against the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins’ rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke became the first teenager to score a goal for the Penguins since Daniel Sprong in 2015.

Brunicke is already proving to be one of the Penguins’ best-six defensemen, and he’s probably not at the bottom of that list, either. His skating is a marvel to watch, and his hockey sense – especially his offensive instincts – is impressive for a teenage blueliner. He does still have some room for improvement as far as his decision-making in the defensive zone, but those reads will come with more experience at the NHL level.

Quite simply, there is nothing left for him to learn in junior hockey. His development, at this point, is best-served to happen at the NHL level this season, even if he doesn’t play in all 82 games. There is a lot of value in him being taken under the wing of veterans like Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang and learning from them, especially since he has a high degree of offensive upside.

Things aren’t much different for Kindel on the forward front. He has been centering the third line – primarily with Tommy Novak and Filip Hallander on his wings – and he doesn’t look a touch out of pace. Kindel’s hockey smarts are off the charts, and his reads are already up to NHL speed. He’s winning battles on the walls, he’s beating guys to pucks, and he is finding and creating the space to generate chances – both in the offensive zone and transitioning out of the defensive zone.

Yes, Kindel could return to the Calgary Hitmen for a year and dominate the league. His 35 goals and 99 points in 65 games were second only to Michael Misa in CHL scoring among 2025 draft-eligible forwards last season. But, if he’s already miles ahead of his junior competition – and has already proven capable of measuring up to NHL competition – is there any real benefit for his development in sending him back, especially if they can manage Kindel’s workload in a similar way to Brunicke’s?

Honestly, a large part of whatever decisions Kyle Dubas and company make with regards to these players may come down to whether or not they’re comfortable allowing either or both players’ three-year contract timelines to begin this season. But, even still, is that worth potentially stunting their development if they are indeed ready to compete at the NHL level?

One thing is for certain: This Western road trip is a critical one for both players. There’s still a small possibility that one or both of them could take a step back in the next three games, which could make any decisions a bit easier for the Penguins.

But if they continue to trend upward, those decisions will almost certainly be made harder. It would be the easier path for the Penguins to simply pull the plug on one or both instead of placing veterans on waivers in order to make way for the teenage rookies to stick around, especially since there are other, slightly older prospects who are probably deserving of a shot at the NHL roster as well.

In this case, the Penguins should take the hard path. If this team is truly keen on prioritizing youth and development at the NHL level this season, they are at a place where they need to show a culture shift, let the kids play, and figure out the rest.

After all – so far – they’ve earned their stay.

Mike Sullivan’s Time In Pittsburgh Deserves To Be Celebrated
If folks have been keeping tabs on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last year and a half, they very well know that the organization is going through a plethora of change.

Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

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Looks like The IInspiration arenâ€t going anywhere — at least not yet. Just hours before TNA Bound For Glory 2025, a new update suggests that Cassie Lee and Jess McKay are likely to stick around, even with their contracts set to expire after tonightâ€s show.

After a short but impactful return to TNA Wrestling that saw them win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, fans were left wondering if this weekend would mark their exit. According to Fightful Select, thatâ€s probably not going to happen.

“As of this week The IInspirationâ€s deals were up after Bound For Glory. Those we spoke to expected them to retain and likely stay with the company.â€

While nothing has been officially signed, the internal belief is that both sides are on the same page. TNA sources have been vocal about wanting to keep Lee and McKay on board, and talks are said to be going well.

“According to those within TNA, the company is interested in keeping Lee and McKay around, and thereâ€s already internal talk that a new agreement is likely to be reached soon.â€

Itâ€s not just TNA talent watching closely — even wrestlers in WWEâ€s NXT are reacting to The IInspirationâ€s presence. Fightful added:

“Several womenâ€s talent at NXT we spoke to were happy to see them at the show.â€

The IInspirationâ€s star power and chemistry have made them a staple of TNAâ€s womenâ€s division since their return. Their current reign as tag champs has injected life into the Knockouts scene, and TNA isnâ€t ready to lose that momentum.

Whether they retain tonight or not, all signs point to a longer run for The IInspiration in TNA. If a new deal gets inked after Bound For Glory, fans can expect more from the duo that continues to deliver wherever they go.

Do you want to see Cassie Lee and Jess Mc Kay continue their run in TNA? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

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After previously teasing something from the music studio during the summer, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young dropped a new song on Saturday.

Young’s single, titled “Where I Stay,” features guest appearances from Georgia-based rappers Quavo and 2 Chainz and was released on YouTube.

There had been hints that Young was working on something recently. The Players’ Tribune released a new video series calledSwitching Stages in which athletes and musicians got together to explore their shared connections.

The first episode featured Young and Quavo, with the former Migos frontman being shown teaching the four-time NBA All-Star how to rap.

Between the song title and some of the lyrics—particularly, the line “A-T-L-A-N-T-A-G-A is where I stay”—might be a pointed message toward Hawks management.

Much has been made about the state of Young’s contract as he enters the final guaranteed season of his current deal and his future with the Hawks. The 27-year-old recently said he’s not necessarily disappointed about the state of his talks with the organization because he’s “happy about the team that we got going into this season.”

The Hawks had one of the best offseasons of any team in the NBA, adding Kristaps Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. They have all the makings of a team capable of being one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

Young, in addition to moonlighting as a rapper now, will be leading the charge in Atlanta. The Hawks will open the regular season at home against the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 22.

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  Jesse RogersOct 8, 2025, 08:31 PM ET

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  Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.

CHICAGO — If the Chicago Cubs could just start the game over every inning, they might get to the World Series.

For the third consecutive game in their National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs scored in the first, only this time it was enough to squeak out a 4-3 win and stave off elimination. All four of their runs came in the opening inning.

“I’m going to tell our guys it’s the first inning every inning tomorrow,” manager Craig Counsell said with a smile after the game. “I think that’s our best formula right now, offensively.”

The Cubs scored three runs in the first inning in Game 2 but lost 7-3. They also scored first in Game 1, thanks to a Michael Busch homer, but lost 9-3. The first baseman also homered to lead off the bottom of the first in Game 3 on Wednesday after the Cubs got down 1-0. He became the first player in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run in two postseason games in the same series.

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“From the moment I was placed in that spot, I thought, ‘Why change what I do? Just have a good at-bat, stay aggressive, trust my eyes,'” Busch said.

Counsell added: “You can just tell by the way they manage the game, he’s become the guy in the lineup that everybody is thinking about and they’re pitching around him, and that’s a credit to the player. It really is.”

Including the regular season, Busch has seven leadoff home runs this year in just 54 games while batting first.

The Cubs weren’t done in Wednesday’s opening inning, as center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong came through with the bases loaded for a second time this postseason. In the wild-card round against the San Diego Padres last week, he singled home a run with a base hit. He did one better Wednesday, driving two in on a two-out single to right. That chased Chicago-area native Quinn Priester from the game and gave the Cubs a lead they would never relinquish.

“I’m pretty fortunate in a couple of these elimination games to just have pretty nice opportunities in front of me with guys on base, and I think that makes this job just a little bit easier sometimes,” Crow-Armstrong said.

Crow-Armstrong is known as a free swinger, but batting with the bases loaded gives him the opportunity to get a pitch in the strike zone. He made the most of it — though that would be the last big hit of the game for the Cubs. The eventual winning run scored moments later on a wild pitch.

“I thought we played with that urgency, especially in the first — we just did a great job in the first inning,” Counsell said. “We had really good at-bats.”

The Cubs sent nine men to the plate in the first while seeing 53 pitches, the most pitches seen by a team in the first inning of a playoff game since 1988, when pitch-by-pitch data tracking began.

“We had more chances today than Game 2 but couldn’t get the big hit [later],” left fielder Ian Happ said. “That’ll come.”

The Cubs were down 1-0 after an unusual call. With runners on first and second in the top of the first, Brewers catcher William Contreras popped the ball up between the pitcher’s mound and first base but Busch couldn’t track it in the sun. The umpires did not call for the infield fly rule as it dropped safely, allowing runners to advance and the batter to reach first base. Moments later, Christian Yelich scored on a sacrifice fly.

“The basic thing that we look for is ordinary effort,” umpire supervisor Larry Young told a pool reporter. “We don’t make that determination until the ball has reached its apex — the height — and then starts to come down.

“When it reached the height, the umpires determined that the first baseman wasn’t going to make a play on it, the middle infielder [Nico Hoerner] raced over and he wasn’t going to make a play on it, so ordinary effort went out the window at that point.”

The Brewers chipped away after getting down in that first inning but fell short in a big moment in the eighth when they loaded the bases following a leadoff double by Jackson Chourio. Cubs reliever Brad Keller shut the door, striking out Jake Bauers to end the threat.

Keller pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the save and keep the Cubs’ season alive. They are down 2-1 in the best-of-five series. Game 4 is set for Thursday night.

“That was a lot of fun to get in there and get four outs and come away with a win,” Keller said. “That was such a team effort there. We’re looking forward to doing it again tomorrow.”

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There has never been a player in the history of the Detroit Red Wings, who are entering their centennial campaign in the NHL, taller than the Swedish-born Elmer Soderblom.

For the second time in his professional career, the towering 6’8″ forward made the cut for the Red Wings out of Training Camp, and this time, he aims to stay in the NHL for good.

Ironically, when Soderblom initially made the Red Wings’ roster in October 2022, they began the new season against the Montreal Canadiens, the same opponent they’ll begin this campaign against on Thursday.

Soderblom tallied his first career goal early in the third period of that game, not only registering a career milestone with his parents in the stands but also breaking what was a scoreless tie that ultimately finished as a 3-0 Red Wings victory.

The camera repeatedly panned to Soderblom’s parents, who were visiting from Sweden and were overjoyed, even getting high fives from Kevin Larkin, Dylan’s father.

For his efforts, he was awarded the game’s first star of the night.

“It was my first game, NHL debut, it was a very special night,” Soderblom said as he looked back on his debut and first goal three years ago. “It was very fun and exciting, and a dream come true. I just remember good stuff from that night.”

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.

Soderblom, whom the Red Wings selected in the sixth round (159th overall) of the 2019 Draft, skated in 21 games for the Red Wings that season before being returned back to the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he remained until being called back up to the team last season. He ultimately played in 26 games, scoring four goals while adding another seven assists.

Soderblom has demonstrated an offensive touch before in his career, as he led Frölunda HC J20 in scoring with 29 goals and 26 assists in the 2019-20 campaign. To date, his highest scoring season of professional hockey came with the Griffins in 2023-24, registering 13 goals with 16 assists in 61 games played.

During the offseason, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman saw fit to extend Soderblom for another two seasons with a $1.125 million cap hit, and he will likely skate on the team’s fourth line to begin the season with Michael Rasmussen and newcomer Mason Appleton.

In what will be his second opportunity to cement his place in the lineup after making the team out of Training Camp, Soderblom is already envisioning not only remaining consistent in his performance but also using his notable stature to his advantage.

“I want to show that I can play good at this level and keep improving, and just become a better player. My goal is to keep being consistent and show what I can do,” he said.

“I’ve learned to be more consistent and use my size to my advantage and play with my size, and still use my hands and shot,” he continued. “I feel like I’ve found a good combination and found a way to be consistent.”

“It’s Special”: Todd McLellan Reflects On Meaning Of Being Part of The Red Wings
The 2025-26 NHL Season has officially begun for several teams, and for the Detroit Red Wings, it will commence on Thursday evening against the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena.

As far as knowing no player out of the nearly 1,400 men who have suited up for the Red Wings over the last 100 years has stood taller than he does, itâ€s not something thatâ€s top of mind for Soderblom – but that doesnâ€t mean he doesnâ€t think itâ€s an interesting reality.

“A couple times, it’s fun,” he said with a grin when asked if he’s ever pondered his status as the tallest player in team history. “Not that I think too much of it, but it’s a fun fact.”

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Harry Kane says he is open to extending his stay at Bayern Munich and believes a return to the Premier League is no longer guaranteed.

The England captainâ€s deal expires in 2027 and suggestions of a £56.7m release clause that can be activated at the end of this season led to speculation over his future. Thomas Frank, the Tottenham manager, has said Kane would be welcomed back if he wanted to move.

That remains a distant prospect, even though coming back to England would give Kane an opportunity to get the 48 goals he needs to break the Premier Leagueâ€s scoring record. The 32-year-old is hungry for more success after winning the Bundesliga last season to end his wait for a trophy, and his views on playing in English football again have evolved in the two years since he left Spurs for Bayern.

“In terms of staying longer I could definitely see that,†Kane said. “I have not had those conversations with Bayern yet but if they were to arise I would be willing to talk and have an honest conversation. Obviously it depends on how the next year or so goes, what we achieve together. We are in a fantastic moment and I am not thinking about anything else.

“In terms of the Premier League, I donâ€t know. If you had asked me when I first left to go to Bayern, I would have said for sure I would come back. Now I have been there a couple of years I would probably say that has gone down a little bit, but I wouldnâ€t say I would never go back.

“I am fully all in with Bayern. If there was a conversation about extending then we will see, but I have still got this season and another season. It is not like I am in my last year, it is not like there is any panic. I am calm, I love the manager at Bayern and as long we are improving and I am improving then I am happy to see what we can achieve.â€

Kane has made a sensational start to the season, scoring 19 goals for club and country. But he knows that being crowned the best player in the world will require winning the Champions League with Bayern or the World Cup with England next summer.

“I would love to win the Ballon dâ€Or,†Kane said. “Essentially it is a team trophy that the best individual from that team wins, so it is going to be a Champions League winner or a World Cup winner … It would be an accumulation of doing something great individually and as a team. It would be almost the perfect season.â€

Harry Kane is preparing for Englandâ€s matches against Wales and Latvia. Photograph: George Wass/PPAUK/Shutterstock

Kane considered whether he has become a better player at Bayern. His analysis was that he is “seeing the game at the highest level Iâ€ve ever hadâ€. It was interesting to note that Vincent Kompany, Bayernâ€s manager, talked about Kaneâ€s work out of possession after he scored twice against Chelsea last month.

“When you win a title maybe it could be easy to go the other way and be like: ‘OK Iâ€ve done what I wanted to achieve,â€â€ Kane said. “But itâ€s given me motivation to do more. My numbers are 11km a game, a lot of high‑speed running. Sometimes when Iâ€m watching the games back, Iâ€m more looking forward to watching tackles or one of my defensive actions than watching my goals back. I donâ€t know if that means Iâ€m getting a little bit bored of my goals or like the tackling part as well but itâ€s been enjoyable.

“I was interested in how I would feel after winning a trophy. It could have been easy to be a bit more relaxed. I pushed myself the other way, being even better, eating even cleaner, doing more gym.

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“I do eat clean anyway. Itâ€s just whether the cheat meals after games are not so much, or when youâ€re out with the family not having as much ice cream. Small details, but at the highest level those make a big difference.â€

Kane is preparing for Englandâ€s friendly against Wales on Thursday and World Cup qualifier against Latvia next Tuesday. The focus has been on Thomas Tuchel leaving Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden out of his squad. Tuchel has said he wanted to reward the players who excelled in training and against Serbia last month.

“There are a lot of players who are different from past tournament squads,†Kane said. “But I think the boss has made it pretty clear that those players, itâ€s not like theyâ€re out of the squad for sure. A lot of them are maybe just coming back into form. Some of them, Jude especially, heâ€s not been fit, and just played one or two games. It is a big change, but thatâ€s not my decision. Thatâ€s the boss – he will feel the feeling amongst the players.â€

Kane urged England to maintain the standards set during the 5-0 win over Serbia. “The energy around the place was in a really good place,†he said. “Probably the best camp since Gareth [Southgate] left I would say was the September camp but now that is the standard.â€

England have added Manchester Cityâ€s Nico Oâ€Reilly to the squad after the Chelsea right-back Reece James withdrew with a minor injury. Declan Rice reported after going off in Arsenalâ€s game with a back injury.

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