A guy who emerged from the same academy system in north London as the current England captain admits he couldn’t have based such success.
Harry Kane is”among the ideal planet”, admits Andros Townsend, but a former team-mate of this Tottenham striker admits he didn’t see such a quick rise coming.
A prolific figure in north London has grown into among the best frontmen from the Premier League, together with his worth now recognised throughout the planet.
A remarkable haul of goals, which now stands at 181 in 278 looks, has seen Kane become talismanic existence for Spurs.
Kane is also England captain and a guy who regularly finds himself at the centre of speculation concerning big-money transfers.
The 26-year-old would not seem out of place at any of the major sides in Europe, with lots ready to buy into his current ability and future potential.
Townsend forms a part of Kane’s ever-growing fan club, having stepped out of the exact same youth system at Tottenham that generated a modern day icon.
The now Crystal Palace winger admits he couldn’t have predicted that a former colleague could scale these heights, with patience and hard work having delivered abundant rewards.
Townsend, who abandoned Spurs in January 2016, told talkSPORT: “Harry is among the best strikers in the world and that I did not see it coming, but he always had the bases to take action.
“From the first time I watched him, he has always had an unbelievable ability to score goals.
“Maybe he did not have the freedom he does today, or perhaps he was half a yard slower, but he always possessed that ability to score left foot, right foot, from any place on the pitch.
“And in the past three or four years he has been at the gym, he’s bulked up, he has quicker, he is getting more powerful, he can head the ball, he could operate.
“He is pretty much an all-round player now and among the finest in the world, and rightly so.”
Kane has added a further 17 goals to his Spurs tally this year but is stuck on the sidelines currently.
Having undergone hamstring operation in January, a long road to healing has been taken in.
He’s proving to be a big miss for Jose Mourinho and Tottenham, with Heung-min Son also hurt and no striking additions made in January, while England boss Gareth Southgate is also sweating on the fitness of his skipper heading towards Euro 2020.
