Jurgen Klopp Praises 'Fantastic Player' Harry Kane Ahead of Liverpool vs. Spurs

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane ahead of the Premier League meeting between the two teams on Sunday.

The Reds go into the game, arguably the hardest fixture they still have to play this season, a point behind leaders Manchester City. It means a lively atmosphere is expected at Anfield, as the Merseyside club seek to go back to the summit of the table.

Speaking about the challenge Liverpool will face against Tottenham, Klopp singled out Kane for special praise, per Adam Lanigan of the Daily Telegraph:

"Harry Kane, what a striker. He is just a fantastic player but I hope we don't see why I like him!

"I respect how he came up, going out on loan, his career is fantastic. I remember one picture where him and Jamie Vardy are sat together on the bench for Leicester. I wouldn't want to be the coach at that moment!

"Harry did it the hard way. It's not like he came up at 18 years old as a talent. He had to do it the hard way and he had to improve day-by-day."

Tottenham, having been involved in the title picture earlier in the campaign, have lost pace with the top two in recent weeks and are now seeking to consolidate a spot in the top four.

However, they are set for an exciting end to the campaign, as they are poised to move into their new stadium and have a UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie to look forward to against City.

Having recently returned from injury, Kane has rediscovered his goalscoring touch again. The striker recently passed a landmark in his career:

On international duty, he was among the goals too, netting in wins for the Three Lions against the Czech Republic and Montenegro. The striker has kicked on for his country under manager Gareth Southgate:

At club level, he's also made major strides under manager Mauricio Pochettino. While Kane has been a consistent goalscorer since bursting on to the scene, he's made refinements in his game to become a complete centre-forward.

He is bullish on the ball and intelligent in the way he brings others into the game. This season, he's even dropped into deeper areas to act as a playmaker, a facet of his game Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph praised recently:

With those traits in mind, it's difficult to think of a more effective centre-forward than the Spurs man. If he is at his best on Sunday, the striker has the ability to hinder Liverpool's title charge.

It will be fascinating to see how Liverpool look to contain Kane. The Reds have the best defensive record in the English top flight this season and arguably the league's standout player in centre-back Virgil van Dijk. The showdown between the England captain and the Netherlands captain at Anfield has the potential to be titanic.