Tottenham's Harry Kane has point to prove as he faces former suitors Manchester City

The last Harry Kane "derby" took place without the man himself. “Are you watching, Harry Kane?” crowed the Tottenham fans as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side launched the falsest of false dawns by defeating the champions.

Minus Kane, Son Heung-min resumed a familiar role as a tormentor of Manchester City. Lacking the striker they had hoped to sign, Pep Guardiola’s team failed to score.

It was an illustration that a game can be deceptive but a season rarely is. When City and Spurs reconvene on Saturday, it is with different experiences. City can feel the winners of a saga in which they did not get what they wanted, Tottenham the losers over the transfer that wasn’t, which they supposedly won by keeping Kane out of Guardiola’s grasp.

Kane has shown glimpses of his best of late. He was outstanding in the remarkable victory at Leicester, as he was, barring a wretched tackle on Andy Robertson, in December’s draw with Liverpool. He scored twice in the FA Cup win against Brighton.

Yet the fact is that Tottenham are eighth and have lost their last three league games. He was supposed to spearhead a charge back to the Champions League, not a descent into mid-table.

Daniel Levy may yet be vindicated if Tottenham emerge from the pack to win the race of the stumbling contenders for fourth, but the eventual verdict might be that he refused to sell Kane out of stubbornness, rather than expert strategising.

Kane was not alone in looking underwhelmed by Nuno, but he scored a solitary league goal for the Portuguese. Even with an upturn in form, he still only has five.

Since his breakthrough season of 2013-14, he has never finished a Premier League campaign with fewer than 17 goals. A consequence is that Tottenham are the second lowest scorers