Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has described the goalscoring achievements of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane this year as "absolutely amazing".
The England international scored his eighth hat-trick in the space of 12 months in Tuesday afternoon's 5-2 victory over Southampton, taking his overall Premier League goals tally in 2017 to 39.
Kane surpassed Alan Shearer's 22-year record for the most goals in a calendar year and is also the highest-scoring player in Europe's top five leagues.
Wenger has been left impressed by Kane's scoring rate, telling reporters: "He has done it and would I have predicted it? I would modestly say no. What he has done is beat people like [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, who are unbeatable in my head, so what he has done is absolutely fantastic.
"Are the games tougher in the Premier League? Yes they are. That is why I say that what he has achieved is absolutely amazing."
Kane ends 2017 with 56 goals in 52 games in all, putting him ahead of Messi (54 in 64), Ronaldo (53 in 60), Edinson Cavani (53 in 62) and Robert Lewandowski (53 in 55).
Daniel Lewis
