KANE'S POTENTIAL KNOWS NO BOUNDS

Tottenham's Harry Kane netted a fine brace to put Arsenal to the sword in this afternoon's North London derby giving Spurs a vital 2-1 victory and a boost in the race for a top four finish. The England under-21 captain's potential seems limitless at the moment.

D. Ray Morton, 7th February 2015.

Harry Kane celebrates next to teammate Érik Lamela after netting against Arsenal this afternoon

They chant "he's one of us" in the stands, he is scoring goals by the hatful and he just helped Tottenham to victory in the North London derby but some still doubt whether Harry Kane is the real deal. In a game which Spurs controlled for the most part, Kane was the key difference with two clinical second half finishes after Arsenal took the lead early on thanks to a somewhat fortuitous opener which fell to the otherwise quiet Mesut Özil.

Kane's first was a classic poacher's goal being in the right place at the right time after David Ospina parried an effort in the 56th minute. The second was an Alan Shearer-esque header with only four minutes of normal time remaining, another late winner for Tottenham which seems to be their habit this season.

Last season, Kane was only recognised as a back-up striker with no outstanding talents other than the aerial ability his 1.90m frame offers him. In 2015, he is now starting to look like a frontman with no obvious weaknesses. He has come on in leaps and bounds and a teammate of his last season may be the inspiration for that: Gareth Bale.

Talking to Standard Sport last November, Kane said about Bale: "After training he would always be there, setting up the mannequins, taking free-kicks and working on his finishing. You saw what happened: he became an unbelievable finisher from outside the box and from free-kicks."

He went on to say: "If you practice, the rewards are there. It's very inspiring. Every footballer wants to play at the very top level and that's what I want to do here at Spurs and make my mark for the club. That's why I work at these aspects of my game."

Kane is modelling his game around Tottenham's former hero, Gareth Bale

And it is clear that the hours he is putting in in training is beneficial. At this point, he looks like an absolute banker to get in the England squad. If anything, his exclusion would draw hostility as he is undoubtedly England's most on-form striker. With Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge having an injury-ravaged season and Wayne Rooney playing in midfield for Manchester United, Kane seems like a natural spearhead for the national side where he can be supplied by England's ample selection of pacey wingers.

Of course it is not just Kane who deserves credit for masterminding Tottenham's win over their bitter rivals. Mauricio Pochettino set his side up perfectly, pressing Arsenal throughout and preventing clear cut chances. Whatever he is doing with them in training is working because Spurs are now one of the most feared teams in the Premier League for scoring late winners, a reputation previously held by Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United.

So headaches for Arsenal fans and extra misery because it was inflicted by Tottenham's resident folk hero. This might be setting a pattern for future North London derbies. Harry Kane can excel at White Hart Lane and can eclipse the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Gary Lineker and who knows, maybe even Jimmy Greaves.