Garth Crooks believes that Arsenal fans are in denial about Harry Kane’s quality on the pitch.

In his recent column for the BBC, in which the ex-Spurs player picked his Team of the Week, Crooks chose Kane as a striker alongside Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.

When explaining the reason behind his choice, the pundit somehow managed to make it about Arsenal.

“An Arsenal fan said to me, almost in desperation that ‘we weren’t playing anybody’… the point he was trying to make was that Huddersfield are not a Manchester United, Manchester City or even an Arsenal for that matter,” Crooks wrote.

“OK, I get that, but I have seen Harry Kane do what he did to David Wagner’s side to all the above.

“Arsenal fans can try to convince themselves otherwise, but I have seen Kane score magnificent goals against the very best. Even if some Arsenal fans are in denial.

“I quite understand critics claiming that Kane’s hat-trick against Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League and double at Huddersfield on Saturday won’t win him the Ballon d’Or, but it does build up an unassailable confidence.

“This is particularly the case when you are about to meet your rivals in a north London derby. Maybe that’s what could be bothering Arsenal fans!”

Kane scored a brace during Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Huddersfield at the weekend and has found the back of the net 11 times in nine appearances so far this term, which is undeniably impressive.

However, while I’m sure there are Arsenal fans who write Kane off, I don’t feel like there are that many. It seems as if Crooks is suggesting there is just so he can imply that the Gunners are jealous of their north London rivals.

Most of Arsenal fans’ mocking of Kane has nothing to do with his ability on the pitch and, if it does, more often than not it’s tongue-in-cheek.

Is he the world-beater that Spurs fans seem to think he is? It goes both ways. I don’t think he is but hey I could just be a jealous Gooner… Just as Tottenham fans are always going to back ‘one of their own’.

It’s rivalry. I’m not sure why Crooks cares what we think about one of their players so much.

Interestingly, he did include Nacho Monreal in his Team of the Week though.