Kane: Myself and Vardy have proven that hard work really can pay off

Former non-league talisman Vardy has been pivotal to Leicester City’s unlikely title triumph this season, pipping Kane's Tottenham Hotspur to top spot.

The English pair are also going head-to-head for this season's Premier League Golden Boot, with Kane currently three strikes ahead of his Foxes counterpart.

It's only a little over three years since both Kane and Vardy were unused substitutes in a 2-0 defeat for Leicester at Barnsley in the Championship.

And Kane has been quick to praise the hard work put in by the former Stocksbridge and Halifax striker since, saying he hopes to discuss the pair's rapid rise over the coming weeks.

“Yes, time has gone so quickly for me since then,” Kane says in the June 2016 issue of FourFourTwo magazine about that afternoon at Oakwell.

“It seems like it wasn’t too long ago that I was sitting on that bench – and Jamie was there as well.

“I haven’t really spoken to him about that so far, but we’ll have a sit down in the summer and have a little talk about it, and how much things have changed.

"He’s done fantastically well this season – it shows you how quickly football can change. It’s about keeping on believing in yourself. Myself and Jamie have proven that hard work can pay off; that we can play at the top.”

Kane is preparing for a second European Championship in as many summers, having been a part of England Under-21s' unsuccessful campaign in the Czech Republic last year. Despite beating the eventual winners, Sweden, defeats to Portugal and Italy meant the Three Lions finished bottom of their group.

But Kane took plenty of positives from the tournament, saying the experience should stand him in good stead heading to France with the senior squad.

“That was a great experience for me, despite the result," he says. "Just to go there, witness the environment and get into that tournament mentality of being away in a hotel, with matches every three or four days. I think that’s important.

“I wanted to get that experience so that if I was picked for Euro 2016, I could use it to my advantage. You got little insights into what it’s going to be like – the officials, the hotel life. It’s all part of the tournament experience. I wanted to get that and I did – hopefully I can use that in this tournament.”

Read the full One-on-One interview with Harry Kane in the June 2016 issue of FourFourTwo magazine. A European Championship special, we also chat exclusively to Wayne Rooney and Ross Barkley about whether this could finally be England’s year, hear from Ashley Williams, Joe Ledley and Ben Davies on the Dragons’ aims in France, speak to Seamus Coleman, James McCarthy and Wes Hoolahan about the Boys in Green’s ambitions, and get the inside track on Northern Ireland from Jonny Evans, Gareth McAuley, Chris Baird and manager Michael O’Neill. If that’s not enough, we go One-on-One with Gary McAllister, recount the best and most bonkers clashes between the five sides from the British Isles and map out each of England’s penalty shootout kicks since 1990 (you’re welcome). And we haven’t even mentioned our separate 68-page Euro 2016 preview guide yet, featuring even more interviews and everything you need to know about this summer’s extravaganza across the Channel. Go get it, then subscribe!