Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has predicted a bright England future for Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
The 21-year-old frontman is busily making a name for himself at White Hart Lane after emerging from the Academy ranks, and Pardew, while wary of him as he prepares to take his Magpies team to north London for Wednesday night's Capital One Cup quarter-final clash with Spurs, is excited by him as an Englishman.
The 53-year-old, who watched Kane score in Sunday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory at Swansea, said: "I think he is fabulous.
"I watched him on Sunday and when you have got an English striker who can do 13km at pace and have the quality and technical ability in the box, [England manager] Roy Hodgson should count himself very lucky."
Newcastle head for the capital for the second time in five days after losing 4-1 in the league at resurgent Arsenal on Saturday evening, but do so determined to build upon victories in their last two trips to White Hart Lane to extend their League Cup run.
Neither Pardew nor anyone else who has followed the recent fortunes of his club needs any reminding that the last major trophy was taken back to Tyneside in 1969, and they have not lifted a domestic prize since 1955.
However, a third round victory at Crystal Palace was followed by a largely unexpected fourth round success at Manchester City which was secured with the likes of Mehdi Abeid, Sammy Ameobi, Rolando Aarons and Adam Armstrong in the starting line-up.
The feel-good factor fostered by progression sparked a much-improved run of form in the league and with the club currently comfortable in upper mid-table, there is a determination to make a genuine tilt at the semi-finals ahead of Sunday's derby showdown with Sunderland.
Pardew said: "I think this team may be more geared up for football than past ones, so that helps, but we have also played very well and the cup competition has been key to the turn-around in our season.
"The Palace win was much-needed and then at City, we put a performance in I don't think anyone expected with three or four players not many had heard of. They made a name for themselves that night and have been a big asset for us.
"If we win this, we have got all the momentum we need going into the derby. It can work in our favour, it can go against you if you lose two or three to injury.
"We need to stay injury-free and need our big players in the derby, like [skipper Fabricio] Coloccini, who has missed the last two."
Cup competitions may not necessarily be a boardroom priority at St James' Park, and owner Mike Ashley currently finds himself embroiled in a developing situation at Scottish club Rangers after running into trouble with the Scottish Football Association.
However, Pardew, who issued one of the more unusual apologies for having to delay his pre-match press conference because of problems with his tree surgeons, insisted events north of the border were nothing to do with him.
He said: "I know nothing about it."
Meanwhile, Pardew confirmed that midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, whose loan spell at Hull appears to have come to an inglorious and premature conclusion, will not be returning to St James'.
He said: "He won't be coming back here, that's all I can say."
Source: PA
