Kane can wake up Three Lions
30-day countdown begins with a look at the top stars
With over 20 goals a season for four campaigns running at Tottenham and a slew of personal accolades including back-to-back Premier League golden boots in 2015/16 and 2016/17, Harry Kane still has nothing to show for himself in terms of club honours and could well demand a big move this summer.
A good World Cup would help raise his profile even further, but an ankle injury sustained in March has left him battling to get back to full fitness in time for the tournament.
With 12 goals in 23 appearances for England since debuting in 2015 and still none scored in tournament play after having failed to find the net at Euro 2016, the 24-year-old has shown nowhere near his full potential in national team colours despite being tipped as the next Teddy Sheringham or Alan Shearer.
That, combined with a perennial sense of just missing out on titles with Spurs, could well rally him into action this summer.
With England up against Tunisia, Panama and Belgium in Group G, there is a very real chance of him breaking his tournament duck and embarking on the sort of run expected of him — provided he is fit.
It will not be easy however, The Three Lions, long remembered as 1966 champions, are very much in transition under Gareth Southgate, bringing through a new guard to replace the ill-conceived and perhaps ambitiously titled ‘golden generation’.
Their Last 16 defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016, which followed a group stage exit at the 2014 World Cup, was nothing short of horrendous, and as a result the attitude towards the national team is one of absolute apathy. It would take something incredibly special to change that, but Kane is perhaps the only man capable of spearheading such a revival.
The good thing is that after the Iceland debacle there is next to no pressure or expectation on this side, and with the exploits of Kane and midfielder Dele Alli at Tottenham being one of the few positives involving English players over the last five years, the team can be built entirely around the pair’s familiarity.
Add in the likes of Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, and the anticipation among fans begins to border on tepid. First games could change things, but the doubts around England very much mimic questions on Kane’s ability and desire to make it elsewhere — and Russia could begin to provide the answers for both.
Any player wants to score on a consistent basis and that’s what defines a good player from a great player.”
Harry Kane | England striker
To score goals, you have to put your body on the line. Harry is one of the players we are least concerned about in terms of robustness.”
Gareth Southgate | England coach