Former Tottenham captain Ledley King is optimistic about the rest of the season for Spurs as their young talent marches on to Wembley.

The defender says he has been impressed with the youthful, home-grown crop of players now making the first team their natural habitat with some solid performances.

He said: “It’s been great to watch players like Harry Kane, Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb make their way into the first team and stay there.

“It’s even more enjoyable to watch Spurs doing well when you have some local lads who have come through the ranks, it really adds to the occasion on match day and you can see how much it means to them.

“Ryan has been at the club for a while and has had to wait to get his chance but that just shows youngsters that if you stay ready and keep believing in yourself you’ll be able to take your opportunity when it comes.

“Harry (Kane) is having an unbelievable season it’s been unreal for him. At the moment there’s just no stopping him, he seems to be getting better every week and scoring different types of goals. Let’s hope he continues to progress.”

Despite a disappointing result at Anfield, Ledders feels there are plenty of positives for the Lilywhites as they move into a hectic schedule of crucial games.

He said: “The top four is always difficult but we are one of a few teams who will be hoping to get there and we are playing well at the moment.

“As for the cup final, we’ve beaten Chelsea already this season and put in some good performances recently so if we show that on the day and perform to our capabilities then of course it’s a game that we can win.”

Spurs now have an eight-day rest until their next fixture at home to Fiorentina in the Europa League next Thursday.