Cries for Harry and St George
‘ Show you want Yaya’
once he completes his club duties, but the player was keen to let it be known he has no intention of shirking his international responsibilities – an attitude Dyke is trumpeting as part of a campaign to reclaim St George’s Day as a time to celebrate English football, rather than political ideals.
“I got a call from Harry Kane’s agent recently just to say how much he enjoyed playing for England and how much he wants to play for the U21s this year in the tournament,” said Dyke .
“I think that is important. If you are a young English boy coming through the system, you should want to play for England.
“It is an important part of their development. Playing for the England fi rst team is the ultimate for a footballer, or should be. ”
And he is worried that some of that national pride has been forgotten over the years.
“I remember when I was a kid that St George’s Day was an important day,” said Dyke . “We used to have celebrations at my primary school and all sorts of things to celebrate ‘ England’.
“Over time, it got captured by political movements, which was a mistake because actually we should be celebrating England, particularly in the area of football.
“What brings England together? Well, the single most important thing is football. If England as a football team does well then England has a united country. ” about the money. If Manchester City don’t want him – no problem.
“I want someone to say they want Yaya to stay at City. Yaya is a legend at the club. All the supporters like him, he has helped City make history.”
Wilfried Bony could be available to face Aston Villa on Saturday after a month out through injury.
The striker scored against West Brom on March 21 – his fi rst goal since a £ 28 million transfer from Swansea – but missed the next three games due to knee and ankle problems.
Bony returned to training yesterday, a boost to City as they look to salvage their season with a Champions League place.
From next season, only the winners of the top seven leagues in Europe – plus the Champions League winner – will be given top seed spots in the competition.