Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood claims he refused to allow Tottenham to sell Harry Kane

Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood has seemingly taken a share of the credit for Harry Kane's continued presence at White Hart Lane, claiming he would not allow the club to dispense of the in-form striker when certain figures wanted to replace him during the 2014 January transfer window.

Kane, 21, has been nothing short of a revelation for Tottenham so far this season, underlying his enormous potential with an impressive return of 26 goals in all competitions under manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Such stellar form has earned the former Leyton Orient and Millwall loanee a first senior international call-up ahead of England's next two fixtures, against Lithuania and Italy later in March, with manager Roy Hodgson proclaiming the "whole country" is excited by his recent goalscoring exploits.

Kane's future at Tottenham did not always look so bright, though, with current Aston Villa manager Sherwood suggesting unnamed members of the club's hierarchy were once prepared to sacrifice him in order to bring in another forward.

"It's great, I resisted the temptation to get rid of him last January because perhaps he wouldn't be the star he is for Tottenham," he was quoted by the London Evening Standard as telling reporters in a press conference prior to Villa's Premier League clash with Swansea on March 21.

"There were people at the club who wanted to bring in another striker and sacrifice Harry Kane. I wouldn't allow that to happen. He got his opportunity and now he's bouncing forward."

Sherwood's commitment to nurturing Kane's talent within a first-team environment is unsurprising given his previous role within the youth set-up at Tottenham that occupied the former prior to his five-month stint in charge of the club that ended in May 2014.

Ryan Mason, Andros Townsend, Danny Rose and Nabil Bentaleb are other examples of players who have progressed through the academy and subsequently gone on to make an impact in the Premier League.

And in Pochettino, Tottenham evidently have another manager who appears committed to giving younger players the chance to shine on a more consistent basis.

Kane will have the perfect opportunity to add to his goal tally and strengthen his bid for a first England cap as Tottenham host relegation threatened Leicester City on 21 March.

For Sherwood, meanwhile, the visit of Swansea will give his side the opportunity to extend their run of wins in all competitions to four.

Villa, who contributed heavily to the sacking of Gus Poyet after routing Sunderland 4-0 at the Stadium of Light in their previous outing, look to have been given a real boost by the decision to dispense of Paul Lambert and currently sit 16th in the Premier League, three points clear of the relegation zone.