Harry Kane insists he can keep playing until he is 40… as the England captain sets his sights on emulating the longevity of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

England captain Harry Kane believes he can play until he is close to 40 as he vowed never to walk away from international football.

The Bayern Munich striker is back in England after reporting for duty ahead of Friday’s friendly against Australia and next week’s Euro 2024 qualifier with Italy. Kane is at the peak of his powers, having scored nine goals and provided five assists in his 10 competitive matches in Germany since leaving Tottenham in August.

Despite turning 30 this year, Kane isn’t thinking about life after international football and believes he never will. Asked if he would ever withdraw himself from international contention, Kane replied: ‘Probably not. I’ve always been so proud to play for England and retiring would be pretty hard to even think about.

‘I am someone who will always want to keep pushing and to keep testing the limits. I will probably keep going until I am not picked any more and then accept that and take it on the chin. I am loving every minute playing for England and I do not want it to end any time soon.’

Kane takes immaculate care of himself off the pitch. He has employed physios and nutritionists in an effort to prolong his career as much as possible.

He wants to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still scoring goals in Saudi Arabia and for Portugal at the age of 38

Lionel Messi is also still flourishing at 36, and won the World Cup less than 12 months ago

The striker believes he is only halfway through that career, saying: ‘The perception is you hit 30 and people start to think it’s the end. But the way I am looking at it is that I almost have the second half of my career. I played in the first team at Spurs from 20 or 21 so I have had nine or 10 years at the highest level. I am hoping for another eight or nine years at the highest level.

‘You see some players who want to have a different challenge so I would never be able to tell you what I’ll do — but at the moment, I just want to keep playing. With sports science and the way the game has adapted, it’s allowed players to play for longer. It’s possible to play until your late 30s and that is what I am planning to do.’

And in a warning to his rivals, Kane — who revealed his family are yet to move to Munich —believes he still hasn’t hit his peak. ‘There is definitely room for improvement,’ he insisted. ‘It has been coming together the last year or two; having the experience, knowing your body, knowing the way you want to play, playing in high-pressure games.

‘When you look at a lot of the top players — Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Zlatan Ibrahimovic — they have almost got better as they hit 30. In a lot of sports that happens. Everything is maybe settled in your personal life. You’ve got family, kids. You are comfortable with your body, mentally, and that just allows you to focus on the football.’

Tottenham have excelled since Kane’s exit earlier this year. Under new boss Ange Postecoglou, the striker’s former club are top of the Premier League and playing an entertaining brand of football.

Kane will return to Spurs’ Enfield HQ on Friday when England move south ahead of their matches at Wembley. He will be given an access-all-areas pass by Tottenham when he arrives at their training ground so he can finally say farewell to some of his former colleagues.

Kane added: ‘I have made it clear my whole career I am a Tottenham fan and I would love to see Tottenham do well. There is no other team in the Premier League I would want to win than Tottenham. Spurs are doing pretty well. It’s great to see. The fans are right behind the team and it’s what they needed after the last few years.’