Harry Kane has tussled with some of the world's best defenders but he will not have encountered many opponents like the one who awaits him in the FA Cup third round.

When Tottenham visit Tranmere Rovers on Friday he will be up against centre back Steve McNulty, perhaps unfamiliar to a national audience but an unmistakeable figure to most who follow the lower tiers of the professional game.

With a shock of grey hair and generous girth, watching McNulty brings to mind that lyrical description of David Steele, the silver-topped England batsman who famously tamed Australia's quick bowlers in the Seventies: 'Like a bank manager going to war.'

Tranmere Rovers defender Steve McNulty wants football fans to look at more than just his size

The 35-year-old is now gearing up for a glamorous FA Cup tie against high-flying Tottenham

McNulty, 35, has enjoyed a long career making his presence felt against opposition centre forwards. His first contact on Friday night at a sold out Prenton Park is sure to be met with the usual guttural roar from the stands of 'Steeeve'.

Yet as with Steele, appearances can be deceiving. While putting his ample physique and aerial power to good use he is also a skilful footballer with a decent touch, whose acute reading of the game makes up for the fact that his turning circle is not quite as nimble as that of, say, Virgil Van Dijk.

While Kane will undoubtedly be the subject of McNulty's attention, there will be no lack of respect either.

'He is probably the best striker in the Premier League and one of the best in the world,' says the Rovers Captain. 'I hope he plays, I'm relishing the chance to play against him, it would be a really good test and you want to put yourself up against the best.

McNulty is hopeful Harry Kane is involved so he can test himself against the best players

Speaking to Sportsmail, McNulty believes that Kane is 'the best striker in the Premier League'

'We will have some videos, but to be honest I'm not a massive one for studying other players. And I know how good he is because I watch him on the TV every week.'

Although an Evertonian, McNulty once dreamt of being in the same centre back berth at Anfield as occupied by Van Dijk. From the age of seven he was at Liverpool, and progressed all the way to being captain of their under-19 side and a regular in the reserves before being released aged twenty.

Growing up in Bootle, he was close to another football family from the suburb, the Carraghers, and Jamie's younger brother John was his best friend at their school, Savio Salesian College.

'Jamie was a local lad and you looked up to him and I wanted to be like him, but the fact is that I wasn't good enough to play for Liverpool,' he says, while being grateful for the footballing education there. 'We did a lot of technical work, that is the Liverpool way, always doing stuff with the ball and it has stayed with me.'

After his release he dropped out of the game for a season and spent a year working as a furniture delivery driver. He was brought back into the semi-pro ranks with Burscough and Vauxhall Motors, with the help of Owen Brown, a former Tranmere player best known as a long-time confidant of Rafael Benitez.

In a colourful journey around the lower leagues McNulty has since established himself as a promotion specialist in the Conference, going up with Barrow, Fleetwood, Luton and – last season – with Rovers.

He has been a hugely valued commodity by managers at that level and adored by fans. At Luton, who he helped regain league status, he became affectionately known as 'Sumo'.

There is clearly a tinge of regret that he has yet to play above League Two level, but it is not accompanied by self-pity.

The defender has changed his lifestyle off the pitch in a bid to trim down his big physique

McNulty has become a lower league promotion specialist having helped Tranmere to League 2

'I have always had belief in my own ability and perhaps some people have looked at my physique and the way I look and quickly thought 'he's not for me.' But I didn't always do myself a lot of favours in my twenties and I've been in the game long enough to know not to blame anyone else.

'My diet wasn't always the best and at times I was probably drinking more than I should have done and at the wrong times. But when you are young you think you know everything, and you don't.

'I look after myself much better now and did a really good pre-season in the summer, which has helped. I want to play for quite a few more years.'

He has been a key part of reviving the fortunes of the Wirral team, who spent three seasons in the National League while playing in a stadium with a considerably larger capacity than Premier League AFC Bournemouth.

The turnaround has come under the ownership of former player Mark Palios, who had a highly successful career as an accountant before becoming the Football Association's Chief Executive. Under the stewardship of he and his wife Nicola the club has re-embedded itself in the community and upgraded facilities.

Tranmere are once again flying high in the league but McNulty is focused on the FA Cup clash

They stand on the verge of the playoff places in League Two, largely fired by the goals of striker James Norwood, who has been attracting envious glances from other clubs.

It was Norwood who scored the late winner when, having been down to 10 men from the first minute, Tranmere beat Boreham Wood in the playoff finals at Wembley in May to end their league exile.

'When I came here it was a similar situation to the one I found at Luton, being at a massive club with a lot of history who really should have been in the league all along,' says McNulty.

'Playing Spurs will be a great occasion and hopefully the money we make will help us in the league and perhaps bring in a couple of extra players. James has been on fire this season but there is a lot of quality in the team.

'Players like Harry Kane are the elite of our profession and we know what we are up against, but they are only human and you never know what can happen.'