Vincent Janssen has claimed that he wants to play alongside Harry Kane rather than be used as a backup striker at Tottenham Hotspur.

The 22-year-old, who joined the North London club from AZ Alkmaar for £18.5m in the summer, has been behind Kane in the pecking order so far this season.

The Dutchman is expected to get more game time now, though, since Kane is facing a spell on the sidelines with ankle ligament damage.

However, Janssen, who scored his first Spurs goal from the penalty spot in Wednesday's 5-0 rout of Gillingham in the third round of the EFL Cup, is hopeful that when Kane is fighting fit, the pair can strike up a partnership on the pitch.

"I am ready to play," PA quotes Janssen as saying. "I feel bad for Harry but if he is fit I want to play with him. He is a very good player. We played some games together and it went very well.

"He has a lot of qualities - he is one of the best strikers in the world so it is nice to play together with him. I can learn a lot from him but at the end I want to play a lot with him.

"It is nice that he is here. It is nice to get the first goal but it is not the most important thing. I have enough confidence and, if I hadn't scored, for me I was sure I would score in the next game. You know that when you come to England there are a lot of players who like to play a more physical game. I like that also so it is not a problem - I just have to adapt."

Janssen will vie for a starting spot in this weekend's Premier League match against Middlesbrough at the Riverside.