England manager Gareth Southgate claims Harry Kane wants to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and become one of the best footballers in the world.

Kane is aiming to match the La Liga pair's records, and Southgate suggested that even Spain coach Julen Lopetegui wishes he had the Spurs frontman in his side.

The England striker has five goals in his last three caps, helped by his first two of the season in the 4-0 rout at Malta.

Having moved into September, Kane put his August hoodoo firmly behind him, and will be looking to find the net again when England entertain Slovakia tonight in a top of the table clash.

And Southgate says that the Three Lions have a special marksman on their hands.

"He knew this morning how many goals in games he had, and also how many Ronaldo and Messi had at this point," he stated.

"He’s driven to be one of the world’s best. Why can’t that happen moving forward?

"I have every trust in Harry. I’ve worked with him long enough, from the U21s through, and he’ll deliver whatever the occasion. He relishes the occasions. We’re still talking about a 24-year-old, so there’s still much more to come from him.

"Alan Shearer was 25/26 when he was top scorer in '96. Harry is still in the early stages of his career, but top scorer in the league two years running and in a really good place.”

Kane has 99 goals for Spurs in 168 appearances, with a stunning 78 of those coming in just 116 Premier League appearances.

With 125 goals for club and country, he is just 12 behind Ronaldo's tally at the same age, though Messi is a way in front of the pair, having struck 203 times at 24.

He has the chance to notch his 100th goal for his boyhood club when they travel to Everton next weekend after the international break's conclusion.

The striker will certainly fancy his chances against the Merseysiders, having notched a double against them in a 3-2 victory at White Hart Lane in March this year.

Kane has also scored at Goodison Park before, grabbing the only goal in a 1-0 win for Spurs in 2015.

However, his first target will be to improve on his record of ten goals in 20 England caps, and to help England secure qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia as quickly as possible.