Harry Kane has lauded Pape Matar Sarr and Oliver Skipp for their "outstanding" performances in Tottenham's Champions League Round of 16 defeat against AC Milan. Without Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg through suspension and Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma out injured, Antonio Conte turned to the Tottenham youngsters in their hour of need.
Amid some concerns over how they would fare due to their lack of experience in the Champions League, Sarr and Skipp were Spurs' best two players on the night in the 1-0 loss. Showing everyone that they can play a big part for the team right now, Kane says the youngsters "should be proud" of how they performed against the Italian giants.
"I though they were both outstanding to be honest. It's not easy to come into the team, two young players who have not got as much experience as some of the others and to come in in this sort of atmosphere and game and perform the way they did, they should be proud," said Kane after Tottenham's defeat at the San Siro.
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"A lot of players can hold their heads up high. We fought in every moment, we tried everything but it was just one of those games where we couldn't score. But for sure we dust ourselves down and we know there's still 90 minutes, maybe more, to play at home."
He added: "We were fully behind them and I think it's important that the older or more experienced players make them feel as comfortable as possible. The boss said before the game, we completely trust them and go out there and enjoy playing at the San Siro against the more famous clubs in the world. They did that.
"They've been working hard. The players who haven't been playing have been working really hard. After the game you see them running on the pitch, just waiting for their opportunities. I'm sure they'll both be disappointed we lost but they can be proud. We've got a lot of games coming up and I'm sure they are going to play a lot more than they have been. They need to get ready for that."
Sarr's start at the San Siro was the second time in the space of a month where Conte has given him the nod in such a big fixture after coming into the side in last month's North London Derby vs Arsenal. Impressing in all aspects of his display as his contributed defensively and going forward, Kane believes that the Senegal international's game will be only benefit from his San Siro experience.
"He's got fantastic quality. I think you saw today he was everywhere," outlined the England captain. "He was breaking up play, tracking back, making tackles, shots, crosses. He's a player who has all the ability and he'll only get better from experiences like tonight, playing a really good team, a really good midfield.
"We're happy with him. The boss trusts him, that's why he's playing and we're going to need those type of performances for the rest of the season."
Skipp, on the other hand, has endured a really frustrating past 12 months through injury but his performance against AC Milan was a timely reminder of his qualities as he was previously a regular in Conte's midfield before Bentancur's move to the club. Luck may not have been on his side recently but the AC Milan game could prove to be a turning point in his season.
"He's been great. Obviously coming through the academy, he's just a really hard worker. Keeps his head down, works hard, quite shy but just gets on with his job," said the 29-year-old on Skipp. "He was really unlucky. When Antonio first came in, he was playing a big part of our team. He was playing games, looking good, looking solid then he got quite a big injury on his hip or pelvis area.
"That set him back three or four months, and he's just been working hard to get his time again and been waiting patiently so really happy that he's done well tonight. He'll keep trying to improve and that starts again on Sunday."
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