Pochettino: In-form Kane can be even better

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has a warning for his rivals in the Premier League and across Europe – Harry Kane is going to get better.

After another goalless August, Kane has been on fire this month with 11 goals for club and country.

He reached that tally with a perfect hat-trick in the Champions League on Tuesday as Spurs thrashed APOEL 3-0 to keep pace with Real Madrid in Group H.

Kane's exploits in September have understandably brought him much acclaim, with comparisons to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as one of Europe's top strikers.

Pochettino expects the England international to keep on improving – which will be a chilling thought for defences across the continent.

"Harry Kane is so young, for he is the one of the best today and one of the best strikers in the world," Pochettino told a media conference on Thursday.

"He can be better because he is young, he has potential, he can improve because he is a professional. There is a gap to improve.

"All the praise and words I can use to describe Harry Kane, I cannot find any more."

But Pochettino rejected reports he had suggested Kane was better than Madrid superstar Ronaldo, insisting he was determined not to put any pressure on his star asset.

"I never said he is better than Cristiano Ronaldo, this is a good opportunity to clarify," he added.

"Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are on a different level, they have showed this over the last five to 10 years.

"We cannot put such pressure on Harry. He is a striker, a killer, but completely different.

"If you ask Antonio Conte, he will say Alvaro Morata is the best. Pep Guardiola will say Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus, Jose [Mourinho] will say it is Romelu Lukaku.

"Harry Kane is one of the best and in that level of players who score a lot of goals each week. It is difficult to say who is the best."