'Not used to it' - Harry Kane reveals why he was benched for Bayern Munich after coming on as a substitute and scoring hat-trick in Stuttgart romp

Returning to league action following Wednesday’s triumph over Union Berlin in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal, Bayern travelled to sixth-placed Stuttgart for what looked to be a tricky test on paper. One of the strongest teams in German football, Sebastian Hoeness’ hosts were also victorious in midweek, downing VFL Bochum 2-0 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the domestic cup.

However, one or two eyebrows were raised before kick-off when the news emerged that Bayern star Kane would start the match on the bench. After scoring in the victory over Union, the former Tottenham forward took his goal tally to 25 in just 21 fixtures in all competitions for Vincent Kompany’s side, who opted to field Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson up top.

Ever the consummate professional, though, Kane showed no signs of frustration after being introduced on the hour mark, replacing fellow striker Jackson who was unable to find the back of the net for Bayern.

Already in front thanks to midfielder Konrad Laimer’s opener, Kane doubled Bayern’s lead just six minutes after being brought on, before going on to grab his second of the game from the penalty spot.

And to cap off a remarkable 30-minute display, Kane followed up Josip Stanisic scoring Bayern’s fourth by completing his hat-trick on the 88th-minute mark. The win saw Kompany’s side move 11 points clear at the top of the league table ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig’s clash with Eintracht Frankfurt later in the day.

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When asked about starting the match among the substitutes, Kane lifted the lid on manager Kompany’s thinking, saying the Bayern head coach wanted to keep him “fresh” ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Portuguese giants Sporting CP at the Allianz Arena.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, Kane said: “It's something I'm not used to, but I did it a couple of times this season. The boss wanted to keep me fresh and save energy. 

“I came on after 60 minutes with a couple of other guys and we were able to exploit the space and get the goals. 

“We had a tough battle in the cup midweek and today we faced one of the best teams in the league away, but we looked stronger in the last half an hour and punished them.”

And when Kompany was asked about the gutsy decision to rest Kane, the former Burnley manager revealed the plan was to always introduce the talisman around the hour mark.

“I had this change in mind before the game started,” said Kompany. “We have 4 games in 11 days. If I start Harry every game and he plays 90 minutes, I'll get questions about why he always plays. 

“Every time we played Stuttgart we've always grown stronger as the game progressed. I felt the spaces would be bigger when Harry came on, it was a good moment for him to come on. And he did what he does.”

While Bayern are riding high in the Bundesliga, they are aiming to get back to winning ways in the Champions League when they play host to Sporting CP. The Bavarians were beaten 3-1 by Premier League leaders Arsenal in their last outing, with Jurrien Timber, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli doing the damage for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Despite the loss at the Emirates Stadium, Bayern are third in the standings, having won four of their five fixtures in Europe’s premier club competition. The five-time winners have beaten Chelsea, Pafos, Club Brugge and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the tournament so far.

Kane will also be hoping to get on the scoresheet once again when Bayern lock horns with Sporting, with his hat-trick against Stuttgart meaning he has now bagged 28 goals in 22 games in all competitions this term.