SOUTHGATE: KANE’S IN THE WORLD TOP 3
GARETH SOUTHGATE insists Harry Kane belongs in the same bracket of strikers as Robert Lewandowski.
And the England manager believes Kane, Lewandowski and Romelu Lukaku are the best three No.9s in world football.
Kane will go head to head with Lewandowski in Warsaw as two of Europe’s deadliest strikers and Southgate believes the Tottenham star can emulate his rival by playing into his mid-30s.
Poland’s Lewandowski, 33, has won the Champions League along with seven Bundesliga titles but is bizarrely often overlooked when TV pundits are asked for their opinion on their best centre-forward in the world.
The Bayern Munich hero has 72 goals in 124 games for Poland and 282 goals in 353 top-flight games in Germany.
That is better than Kane’s 166 in 247 in English football, although the Spurs striker has 40 goals in 63 caps.
They are two of the deadliest and most prolific strikers who will be focal points for their sides in Warsaw tonight.
Southgate said: “The two of them probably with Lukaku are the three that immediately spring to mind when you talk about players who are a focal point of the team, as a No.9, with the goalscoring records they have.
“They all play slightly differently although I see a lot of comparables with Lewandowksi and Kane in the way they come deeper, receive the ball, play teammates in, play those excellent passes as well as their finishing capabilities and range of finishing.
“There are without doubt similarities and those three are forwards at the top of their game.
“When you’re preparing to play an opponent you have to pay that little bit more attention to their individual attributes because your defenders have to be aware and ready for that challenge.”
Kane has developed his all-round game, he now drops deep and is an equally effective supply line for Tottenham as well as a goalscorer.
He has the capability to blow Wayne Rooney’s England goals record of 53 out of sight because, at 28, time is on his side.
But there can be no doubt Kane wanted to leave Tottenham because he wants to win major trophies to enable him to land the Ballon d’Or and individual honours.
Until Kane scores goals on the biggest stage for his club, wins trophies to match the individual honours of a Premier League and World Cup Golden Boot, he may not be considered world class by all of his peers.
Southgate does believe there is still plenty of time for Kane to score more goals and achieve more success by emulating Lewandowski and playing for many years to come.
He added: “There is every chance he’ll go as long as possible, he’s an incredible professional. Normally those things are determined by how you look after your body, what you eat, how you prepare.
“You never know what circumstance can happen around that but he will give himself the best chance.”