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'Harry Kane wasn't the best player' - Former Tottenham defender says striker 'rarely stood out' in Spurs youth team but reveals secret to Bayern star's success

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  • Caulker knows Kane from time at Spurs
  • Says striker wasn't the best in youth set-up
  • But his mentality has made him a success
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Kane is currently riding high after winning the first major title of his career. The Bayern striker helped fire the Bavarian giants to the Bundesliga title to end his infamous trophy curse after failing to land any silverware during his 19 years with Spurs.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Kane may be one of the biggest stars on the planet but he didn't impress Caulker during his time in the youth set-up at Spurs. The former defender has been reminiscing about the duo's time at the club and has, perhaps surprisingly, claimed that Kane did not really stand out. However, Caulker does believe he knows why Kane has been able to go and enjoy such a successful career.

  • WHAT CAULKER SAID

    He posted on LinkedIn: "Harry Kane wasn't the best player in our youth team. In fact, at the time, I'm not sure I would have even put him in the top five. For context, I came through Spurs academy, where they produced a phenomenal amount of talent in a really short space of time. Kyle Walker, Kyle Naughton, Danny Rose, Andros Townsend, Ryan Mason, Adam Smith, Jake Livermore, Tommy Carroll, Alex Pritchard, Nabil Bentaleb, and myself all went on to play in the Premier League. Plus many other talented players who went on to play professional football at various different levels. Harry was in the year below me, and if I'm honest, he rarely stood out to me as having anything special. One thing I do remember though, is his mentality. It was second to none. Roll on a few years, and a few loan spells, Harry got his break with Spurs. Harry has gone on to surpass all of us with his incredible individual achievements; the only player in the same bracket is Kyle Walker, who Spurs paid a lot of money for as a youngster. The point of the story? Life isn't a sprint. Some of us are ahead of the curve before others, but if we don't have the right mentality to stay there, we will soon be overtaken. Well done, H. Simply incredible what you have achieved so far."

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    WHAT NEXT FOR KANE

    Bayern wrap up their Bundesliga season on Saturday against Hoffenheim and then return to action in June at the Club World Cup with group games against Auckland City, Boca Juniors and Benfica.