QPR 1 Tottenham 2: Harry Kane chooses the right moment to shine in front of Roy Hodgson and assure himself of an England call-up

Tottenham striker scores twice to all-but-confirm a call-up to the England squad

Harry Kane takes the ball around Robert Green to score his second (Getty Images)

Harry Kane took just six minutes to give Roy Hodgson a glimpse of what he went to check out at Loftus Road. It was a short journey from the England coach’s Chelsea apartment, but it may have been one of the most worthwhile and important ones he will make all season.

Kane’s blond quiff, bearing down out of a blinding sun, was the last thing Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper, Rob Green, wanted to see so early in the game, however.

His vision impaired by the glare on a glorious early Spring day, Green just about scrambled Kane’s header off Kyle Walker’s right-wing cross back above his cross-bar.

Tottenham’s irrepressible Man of The Moment had made his point early, though. He is a player who radiates presence and his marker was put down quickly here, propelling them closer to the Champions League qualification places.

Three prior appearances without a goal represented something of a drought for Tottenham’s 21-year-old striker from their own back-streets. The run simply wasn’t going to continue here.

By the end of the day, the meter had ticked onwards to reach 26 goals for the season thanks to his impressive double strike. Some have wondered whether Hodgson will actually give him a chance in the internationals against Lithuania and Italy later this month. Have no fear. Roy infuriates some fans, but he’s certainly not daft. Kane will be in the squad or there will be uproar.

Almost half an hour after that early chance, Kane ducked cleverly in the box to head in Andros Townsend’s looping free-kick – and the bandwagon for his international call-up rumbled back into action. Quite deservedly, so, too.

When he escaped the attentions of the ailing Rio Ferdinand for a second time and elegantly tucked home his second goal in the 68th minute, the next step in his extra-ordinary season into the full international squad was surely confirmed.

Kane is very much the leader of a young pack of forwards whose claims to play for England are being pressed just now.

The mission in west London for the national team boss was to weigh Kane’s talents up against those of QPR’S Charlie Austin, with Burnley’s Danny Ings and West Brom’s Saido Berahino among the other youngsters on his radar.

Austin twice delivered evidence in the first half of the fact that he possesses a shot so quick and thunderous that it comes across as deliciously old-fashioned – shaking the cross-bar with one powerful attempt in the 28th minute.

Kane celebrates scoring for Tottenham against QPR (Getty Images)

It was Kane, though, who showed the serious finisher’s touch, the steady composure and the cunning instinct that would probably make him the best fit of all these young tyros in the international arena.

Kane had won the free-kick in the first place after he had been stopped in his tracks on a surging run from deep. When Townsend dropped it iin, Spurs were aided by some wayward defensive work from Ferdinand, along with Nedum Onuoha.

It still requires a smart brain and striker’s hunger to make the most of such gifts. Kane displayed both – and it wasn’t just his goals which will have been noted by Hodgson. Two visionary passes to Kyle Walker showed his intelligence, too. He is more than just a goal-getter.

Harry Kane heads Spurs into the lead (Getty Images)

In this game in hand so critical to Spurs’ chances of Champions League qualification, these goals were of huge importance. Like so many of Kane’s. This win moved them within three points of fourth-placed Manchester United.

The flip-side was that it crushed QPR’s determination to make a fight of it, despite Sandro’s 75th minute goal. They simply don’t have enough quality. They certainly don’t have the Kane Factor. The comforting fact for both Hodgson and Pocchetino is that they do.