Harry Redknapp confesses his early thoughts on Harry Kane

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has honourably confessed that he had doubts as to whether or not Harry Kane was good enough for the top level during his time in the Spurs academy.

In Redknapp's defence, Kane was most certainly a bit of a late bloomer. The striker's first two loans - to Leyton Orient and Millwall - were productive, but the following loans at Norwich City and Leicester City were far from productive, and the player himself even admitted he was doubting himself, asking how he would make it for Spurs in the Premier League if he failed to do so for Leicester in the Championship.

The striker had very little hype coming through the ranks at Spurs and was not seen as the player, or even one of the players, with the most talent in his age group. So, you can understand the doubt from Redknapp.

Harry Redknapp confesses his early thoughts on Harry Kane

Speaking to talkSPORT, during a debate where he argued the case that Kane is a club legend, the former Spurs manager said: "He was a young player, we felt he would be a player. But what level? Even then, we couldn’t sit there and say ‘he is going to be a Premier League player, for sure, and he is good enough to play for Spurs’.

Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand, who were working with him, they had great belief in him, but who could envisage that he could go on to get 100 caps and be what he has become?!

He was a good all-round player, you thought ‘Is he quick enough? Is he this?’. He was decent at everything without being fantastic at anything, but he worked and trained."

Redknapp went onto caveat that Kane's work ethic stood out from a young age. “He was one of them boys that every day after training, he was out on the training ground. He would put his spikes on. Do sprints and wanted to get quicker. He was also a good lad.

“He deserves what he has done. It’s fantastic – I would certainly say he is a legend. His goalscoring. He has the full package. He does everything. Absolutely top level.”