Jose Mourinho has backed Harry Kane to lead the line for Tottenham for the next 10 years – provided he wants to. The Spurs striker, now 28, is enjoying his best year in the game having taken his tally to 26 goals for the season on Thursday against Dinamo Zagreb with an unprecedented 16 assists.

It is this extra dimension to his game as a creator which makes the Tottenham manager believes Kane will be invaluable late into his career, matching other attacking players he has worked with over the years such as Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Didier Drogba and Karim Benzema.

The Portuguese said: “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, 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.

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“Later in their career, instead of being the No 9 target, they become a nine-and-a-half, between a nine and a 10. And they can play football until they want.

“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.

“But he’s 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.

“Could Kane play on for another 10 years? You have to ask him. It depends on what he wants to do.

“But it’s too early for him to think about that. It is important he just enjoys his football.”