After 21 minutes at St James' Park it would have been interesting to discover what Harry Kane was thinking.
His Tottenham Hotspur side had been dragged from pillar to post in a mauling reminiscent of a non-league side taking on a Premier League giant. The gap between Spurs and Newcastle is bigger than the six points the league table suggests.
But while the 6-1 defeat for the North London club was embarrassing, further humiliation could be around the corner. For years, Tottenham supporters have hailed 'one of their own' Kane, confident he would not leave. His goalscoring prowess has lifted them time and again but even his powers are failing to stop the rot. Kane is the only faint beacon of light in a sea of mediocrity.
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When former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho was at the club, he remained relatively calm about reports that Kane was heading for the exit door. Speaking in the 2020-21 season, he said: "He is professional. Apart from being talented or not it’s very important that a player is professional and he’s very professional. I am very, very pleased to have him. I think he’s living a good period.
"He’s doing well for club and country and ahead of him, until the end of the season he has nice challenges. He has a [Carabao Cup] final to play, he has a Premier League to fight for every point. Then he has a Euros with the possibility to play a final at Wembley. I think he has to be happy with the moment he is living."
Surely Kane can no longer be happy with the trajectory Spurs are on. Tottenham exited the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup with a whimper. After Sunday's defeat, hopes of a top four finish appear slim too. Kane's season has ended with a month still to go.
Meanwhile, United have plenty to play for. Erik ten Hag's men have already secured the League Cup and will face Manchester City in the FA Cup final in June. And it looks almost certain the Reds will be playing Champions League football next season.
Spurs appear to be a club in decline and it could be made clear on Thursday how far behind United they are when the two teams meet. Kane has a big decision ahead of him in the summer but Daniel Levy can no longer rely on Mourinho's theory to sell the case to stay.
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