Jose Mourinho has claimed Harry Kane can get even better with age - and go on to become an all time great.
Tottenham striker Kane, 27, is enjoying arguably the best season of his career with 26 goals in all competitions, 16 assists and goes into the North London derby in red-hot form.
Mourinho has worked with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Karim Benzema during his career and the legendary strikers are enjoying success into their mid to late 30s.
Spurs boss Mourinho believes Kane’s all-round game can get even better as the England captain has already become more efficient at laying on chances and assists for team-mates this season.
Mourinho said: “It depends on what he wants to do and I think it's too early for him to think about that, he just enjoys his football.
"But when a striker is the kind of goalscorer who can only play in that position, it's more difficult because when they lose that intensity of the younger people, then they have nothing.
"But the kind of players [like Harry], I think they get better with time, with experience, with understanding of the game.
“At this moment you see Harry and [Karim] Benzema, who's already 33 now, this kind of striker. They're very intelligent, so they can drop back and assist, transform their game.
"Later in their career, instead of being the No.9 target, they become a nine-and-a-half, between a nine and a ten. And they can play football until they want. But 27 is too early to think about that.”
Ibrahimovic, 39, will go down as one of the all time greats after glorious success at Barcelona, AC Milan, Manchester United and Paris Saint Germain.
Benzema, 33, has also won a host of trophies with Real Madrid while Kane has yet to win any silverware despite his individual records as a Golden Boot winner.
But Mourinho insists that Kane has the same level of ambition to be as successful in the future as other great strikers he has worked with while also stressing his commitment to Tottenham.
Mourinho added: “I've been lucky enough to work with players with great ambitions, It's not possible to have a career like mine without players with ambition. He has that, no doubt he has that. No doubt that of course he wants to win matches, score goals, win trophies.
“Totally committed with the club, totally committed with the national team He's a very good example of a top professional. And a top player.
“Sometimes top players are not always top professionals, and vice-versa. He's a top player, he's top professional and he's a great example for everyone.”
