England captain Harry Kane expressed his disappointment regarding comments from former players’ comments, urging them to remember what it is like to wear the shirt. England is currently sitting top of Group C with four points ahead of their final group-stage match against Slovenia. However, their dismal performance in a 1-1 draw against Denmark drew sharp criticism.
Gary Linekar, former England striker, criticized the performance “s***” on his podcast, emphasizing Kane “needs to do a lot better.” Alan Shearer also expressed his concern over the team. Meanwhile, Kane affirmed his respect for former players, suggesting they bear a responsibility. The 30-year-old emphasized that the current players will look up to what the former England internationals say.
“I would never want to be disrespectful to any player, especially a player who has worn the shirt and knows what it is like to play for England. But what ex-players or ex-players who are pundits now have got to realise it is very hard not to listen to it now, especially for some players who are not used to it or some players who are new to the environment.
“I always feel like they have a responsibility. I know they have got to be honest and give their opinion but also they have a responsibility of being an ex-England player that a lot of players look up to that people do listen to them and people do care what they say,” Kane said.
It is just the reality that they do know it is tough to play in these major tournaments: Harry Kane
Harry Kane went on to acknowledge that England hasn’t achieved any significant success in quite some time. He added that many former players were part of the experience and there were challenges. He further suggested that building up the current players’ confidence would be a more constructive approach on their part.
“The bottom line is we haven’t won anything as a nation for a long, long time and a lot of these players were part of that as well and they know how tough it is, so it is not digging anyone out. It is just the reality that they do know it is tough to play in these major tournaments and tough to play for England.
“I would never disrespect any ex-player. All I would say is remember what it is like to wear the shirt and that their words are listened to. Some of the lads, I don’t know how many, but we do hear it. We all want to win a major tournament and I am sure they want us to win a major tournament and being as helpful as they can and building the lads up with confidence would be a much better way of going about it,” he added.
Also read: Gareth Southgate left perplexed by unexpected question during Euro 2024 press conference
