Arsenal legend Paul Merson has hailed Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane as the best striker in the world, ahead of the likes of Erling Braut Haaland.

The Spurs forward netted his 17th Premier League goal of the season against Aston Villa on Sunday to take him joint-top of the goalscoring charts for 2020-21, in addition to leading the way in terms of assists with 13.

Earlier in the season Kane and teammate Son Heung-Min broke the Premier League record for most goal combinations, and Merson believes that the England captain's all-round game is what separates him from other strikers.

"He's got an all-round game and I personally think he's the best centre-forward in the world, he's the only player I know who has got the whole package," Merson told Sky Sports News.

"People will go 'oh (Erling) Haaland, he's 20, he scores goals, that's what he brings to the party'. Kane brings everything to the party. He's got an array of passing, he can put people in, he can join the play. I can't talk highly enough of the lad, I really can't, he's a special, special player.

"I'm not sure about it (breaking Alan Shearer's record), at 30, 31 he's still got to get 25 a season. He can play so much deeper and he's a team player. He's not someone like an (Sergio) Aguero who's just going to sit in the box."

Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp was also full of praise for Kane, tipping him to be the man to break Alan Shearer's long-standing Premier League goalscoring record.

The 27-year-old is currently on 160 top-flight goals - still 100 short of Shearer's record - meaning that he would need to score an average of 25 per season over the next four seasons to equal the all-time leading tally.

Kane has scored 25 or more goals in three separate Premier League seasons already during his career, although he has failed to make it past the 18-goal mark since 2017-18.