In Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham Hotspur have a manager who is respectful to a fault but who can be ruthless if players don't toe the line, prolific striker Harry Kane said of the Argentine.

Since arriving in 2014, Pochettino has turned Tottenham from top-four hopefuls to contenders for the Premier League title as the north London side sit second in the table, nine points behind Chelsea after 24 games.

"A lot of the time he's calm, but he's very passionate. If he feels the problem isn't the game but is about our attitude, he'll tell us we need to work harder or play harder," Kane told British media.

"He's emotional. And that's what we want. We all feel the same, we all want to win, we've all got the same goal. He's got two sides to him. He's very respectful - if you respect him, he'll show you respect back. If you work hard for him, he'll give you his time," Kane said.

"But he's ruthless if you cross him. If you don't want to work for him and you don't want to be a team player, you won't be part of the team," he added.

Kane admitted he harbours hopes of one day captaining both boyhood club Tottenham and England.

"I see myself as a leader, so why not. I'd love to be captain of Tottenham and hopefully England as well," the 23-year-old said.

Tottenham travel to face fifth-placed Liverpool on Saturday.