Kyle Walker has revealed that Harry Kane was 'a little bit overweight' and 'didn't stand out' as a youngster at Tottenham, before becoming England's greatest ever striker.
Walker, who played alongside Kane at Spurs and for England, shared his memories in a column for The Sun. He recalled signing for Spurs at 19 and training with Kane's age group, which included Andros Townsend, Steven Caulker, Ryan Mason, and Tom Carroll.
'It was a good group but Harry was a little bit overweight and didn't stand out. He would be honest with himself about that,' Walker wrote.
Kane, now 32, made his Spurs debut in 2011 but didn't score in the Premier League until April 2014. After loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich, and Leicester, he exploded with 31 goals in the 2014/15 season. Now at Bayern Munich, he has 146 goals in 147 games for the German giants.
'I'm not sure people really realise how much he has had to graft to get to be one of the best strikers in the world,' Walker added. 'He's always been obsessive in training, staying behind to practice his shooting and work on his finishing.'
Kane will captain England in their World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday night, having scored 79 goals in 114 caps. He arrives at the tournament after scoring 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern last season.
'I'm coming into this tournament in the best way possible; the best place physically and mentally,' Kane said. 'Throughout a career, there aren't loads of times when all the pieces of the puzzle will come together at the right moment. Talking now, I feel like I'm in that place.'
