‘I’m sure my mother will cry’ – Harry Kane proud to lead England on night they can secure World Cup spot

Harry Kane admits that being England skipper on the night they qualify for the World Cup Finals would be one of the best moments of his career.

The Tottenham striker will captain the national side for the third time when they face Slovenia tonight but it will be the first time he has led the side at Wembley.

England know that a victory will secure top spot in Group F with a game to spare and book their place at the tournament in Russia next summer.

Speaking to Standard Sport, Kane said: “This is a very big moment. Should we qualify, it will be up there among my best nights in football.

“I’m determined to win. The last two games I was captain, we drew against Scotland and lost to France so I want to get my first win as captain.

“But to be part of that historic moment, to be captain if we qualify, will be incredible. To lead the team out at Wembley for the first time will be amazing.

“My family will be there watching proudly. I’m sure there will be a few tears from my mother.

“It will be a proud moment but it won’t distract me from the job that needs to be done on the pitch.”

Should they fail to win tonight, Gareth Southgate’s side have a match away in Lithuania on Sunday to secure qualification. Two points from these two games will be enough to book their place automatically but Kane does not want to prolong matters.

He added: “It is very important we get the job done tonight. You never want to leave it to the last game.

“It will be fantastic to do it at Wembley in front of our home fans, it will be a great celebration. Some people underestimate what it takes to get to a World Cup, it is not an easy feat.”

England’s displays during their qualification campaign have not generated much excitement but Tottenham star Kane, who scored 13 goals for club and country last month, is hoping the team can end on a high.

“We’d like to put in a performance and send a message,” said Kane, who is feeling sharper than ever since hiring a chef to cook all of his meals throughout the week.

“First we have to win. It would be great to play well, play free-flowing football, score goals and not concede.

“Of course that doesn’t always happen. But we want to go out with an attacking mindset and win.”

Meanwhile, Kane insists he is happy at Spurs but could consider a move abroad later in his career.

The 24-year-old has been linked with Real Madrid but has given no indication he plans to leave Spurs any time soon.

Asked if he wanted to play abroad, Kane said: “I would never say no or yes. You’d not rule out anything.

“It’s not something I definitely want to do but you never rule anything out. I’m very happy here [at Tottenham] but we’ll see what happens.”