Kane proud of Spurs academy

Harry Kane believes Tottenham are setting an example to the rest of the Premier League when it comes to putting faith in nurtured talent.

The 21-year-old is likely to be leading the attack for Spurs when they face London rivals Chelsea in Sunday’s Capital One Cup final.

But Kane, who has already amassed 24 goals this season, will not be the only man in Mauricio Pochettino’s side to have come through the ranks at White Hart Lane.

Andros Townsend will hope to be involved at Wembley, with midfield pair Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason also products of Tottenham’s academy.

Danny Rose may have started his career at Leeds and moved to Spurs a little later than the rest but he, too, could be considered home-grown talent, and Kane feels that in a footballing climate where buying ready-made players is rife, Tottenham’s way could soon start turning the heads of clubs such as Chelsea.

“There is a lot of money in football these days and you always see if a team haven’t got an answer, they just go and buy someone,” he said.

“That isn’t always the case. We have great players here like me, Ryan and Andros and Nabil. We have young players here who have shown you don’t always have to buy players.

“Sometimes young players coming through don’t get their chance on the big stage. Fortunately for us we did and we were good enough to take it.

“Every club is different. Tottenham have used their academy in a very good way. Chelsea are Chelsea, it is hard to say what they should do. At the moment, they are buying a lot of players.

“Maybe they will look at us and maybe other teams will look at us and say maybe we can start looking to the academy and see what players we have.”

Kane is already adored amongst Spurs fans, not only for his goals but also for his passion for the shirt – “He’s one of our own” can often be heard bellowing down from Tottenham’s support when Kane is once again taking defences apart.

Having had several loan spells and false starts before breaking into the first-team picture under Tim Sherwood, Kane admits he had to be patient. However, his insistence on wanting to remain at the club for the entirety of his career means he was never likely to kick up a fuss.

“I think I had setbacks, but I always had belief that I was going to play for Tottenham Hotspur,” he said.

“Even when I went out on loan to the clubs, it was always to come back and become a Spurs player. I had good loans at (Leyton) Orient and Millwall and not such a good loan with Norwich and Leicester. I was on the bench here at Spurs and had to wait for my chance as well.

“If I was at Tottenham in 10 years time and still playing, I’d be very proud and very honoured. I love the club. They have given me a base growing up as a kid and it’s something I want to do. I love playing here, I love every minute of it, and hopefully I can continue it for years to come.”

And what of the calls for Kane to be included in the next senior England squad? Manager Roy Hodgson has heavily suggested he should be prepared for his first call-up, and Kane feels he is in a position to make the leap from Under-21 talisman to a major player in England’s Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

When asked if he felt he was ready, Kane said: “Definitely. I have played at every other level for England and had a good season so far.

“But there are still plenty more games to go before the squad is announced. I am just trying to take it one game at a time and doing my best for Tottenham and see where it takes me. If I get the call it will be a very proud moment for myself and my family and friends. But I try not to talk about it too much.”

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