Newly-appointed England captain Gary Cahill has praised Tottenham striker Harry Kane, labelling the 22-year-old as a 'top class performer'.

Cahill referenced Kane's hat-trick against Chelsea on in Spurs' 5-3 win over the Blues on New Year's Day last season as mark of the talent of Three Lions teammate.

"Harry's been fantastic," Cahill said after he was temporarily handed the England captaincy armband in the absence of the injured Wayne Rooney.

"In that particular game he was on fire. You get to know when you train with a player their attributes. I do think he's ready and he's a great striker.

"Last year he was fantastic. This season he's helped the team do well and, for us, training with him the last few days, you can see he's a top class performer.

"I think he's not scared to turn and try and run you. He has attributes as a finisher - left foot, right foot, good with his head... so he's got half a chance. Physically he's strong, he can be a target man, he can turn and try and run you, take you on. He's an exciting player, still young, still developing."