Mauricio Pochettino is thankful to predecessor Tim Sherwood for setting Harry Kane on a meteoric rise that the Tottenham head coach expects to continue for a long while to come.
It is remarkable to think that it is almost exactly a year since the 21-year-old boy wonder made his first Premier League start.
Sherwood threw Kane into the starting line-up against Sunderland and was rewarded with a goal in a 5-1 Spurs triumph.
A lot has changed since then, with Sherwood now in charge of Aston Villa and his protege a fully-fledged England international with 29 goals to his name.
Kane has kicked on impressively under Pochettino's guidance, yet the Spurs head coach was coy when asked how the credit should be apportioned ahead of his predecessor's first return to White Hart Lane.
"This is up to you to decide the percentages," the Spurs head coach said, smiling. "It is not about me.
"To be fair, I think all the people that were around him from the beginning had an influence.
"It's not only me, Tim, Chris Ramsey, Les Ferdinand, Daniel Levy or (academy manager) John McDermott, I think it is the parents and the friends as well.
"When you play like Harry Kane performs now, a lot of people around help you arrive."
Kane may have arrived at the top level but Pochettino is not expecting him to rest on his laurels.
"He is not the finished product," the Spurs boss said. "He can improve a lot. A lot.
"He is very young and, my feeling, my thought, is you can improve always.
"When you are 21 or 22, you believe you know it all and can't improve, but, with time and experience, you see that you can improve every day.
"It is not important your age, you can improve always if you're open to improving."
Pochettino does not expect Kane to get ahead of himself, though, thanks to maturity that belies his years.
In fact, so impressed has the Spurs head coach been that he handed the 21-year-old the captain's armband for last weekend's 0-0 draw at Burnley.
"If I pick the same team, it is Harry Kane again," Pochettino said of Saturday's match against Villa.
"I think he deserves it when you look at the names on the team sheet. He is one of the players who deserves to be captain.
"We have many players that can lead the team, but we can select only one.
"When you are mature and you are a leader, it is not about age or experiences. It's about your personality and character."
Source: PA
