DEFENDERS BEWARE! Modric says England skipper has already proved his goal-scoring talent and still has potential to improve

LUKA MODRIC claims golden boot winner Harry Kane has the potential to become an even better striker.

The Croatia captain says England’s skipper has already established himself as one of the best goalscorers in world football.

But Real Madrid superstar Modric believes 25-year-old Kane can go from strength to strength and he will be a huge threat to Croatia tonight.

The former Spurs midfielder, 33, said: “If you look at the number of goals he is scoring for Tottenham Hotspur, taking them into the Premier League title race which isn’t easy because other clubs are investing more money, then he’s proved himself one of the world’s best forwards already. If he continues to develop, he can achieve even more, but he’s already one of the best in the world.”

Modric helped Croatia conquer England in the World Cup semi-final, but his nation then crashed to a humiliating 6-0 defeat to Spain last month. It means that Croatia cannot afford another defeat if they are to avoid relegation from their Nations League group.

Modric insisted they will be ready this time. “This is an important game, especially after the match against Spain,” he said. “We want to feel better about ourselves.

“We will see if England are better than during the World Cup. They have a lot of the same players, but, with some injuries, some new ones too. It will be tough.

“It’s a strange environment for both teams, playing in front of an empty stadium, but it’s important for us to achieve a good result. It’s hard to play without fans, but we have to adapt.”

Modric created a storm during the World Cup by claiming that England underestimated Croatia in the semi-final, but he claimed that was misunderstood.

He also insisted that he likes the Nations League and, despite all of the criticism, believes it is good to be tested in competitive games rather than friendlies. Modric added: “Sometimes when we play against weaker teams, everyone says, ‘Oh, you won because you played weaker teams’. Now we are playing this. This is what our coach likes, playing big teams, a great test. I think it’s a good competition.

“Maybe the game against Spain came a bit early for us after the World Cup, but tomorrow will be better. It’s a great test against a great team, but we like playing those type of games. The Nations League is a great competition.

“When I talked about being underestimated after the World Cup semi-final, I wasn’t criticising the England players or the head coach.

“I was speaking in regards to some of the commentary on the TV, and what we had read.

“We felt a bit disrespected, not appreciated as much as we deserve.

“It was extra motivation for our team, even in a World Cup semi-final when you don’t need extra motivation. That’s how we felt.

“That’s how I felt. Is that a problem for England? That’s something you have to answer yourself and analyse.”