KANE’S A TRUE HEAVYWEIGHT

FIFA list slimline Harry as 15st 6lb!

TO most of us Harry Kane is the perfect professional. He has a private chef, an aversion to alcohol and the kind of dedication that, to Gareth Southgate at least, made him the obvious choice to be England’s World Cup captain.

What nobody would accuse him of is being overweight. At least not since he shed the puppy fat of his youth and became a Premier League superstar.

But yesterday, on the squad lists published by FIFA, Kane was listed as one of the heaviest players in the tournament, second only to Panama’s Roman Torres.

Torres weighs in at a whopping 15st 8lb but Kane is listed on the FIFA website as being just two pounds lighter at 15st 6lb (98kg).

Of the 736 players heading to Russia only three other players are listed at that weight and one of them also plays for England and is also called Harry. Mr Maguire, say FIFA, is also a big unit.

It’s nonsense, of course. FIFA claimed last night that the information came from the national federations but it’s unlikely they have faulty scales at St George’s Park. Tottenham say Kane is 13st 7lbs (85.5kg), and at 6ft 2in that sounds right for a lean goalscoring machine. The FA said it was an administrative error, confirming his weight at 89kg (14st).

This follows an embarrassing episode in April when the FA apologised to Kane after tweeting a video that mocked the Tottenham striker following his side’s FA Cup semi-final defeat.

Gary Lineker suggested on social media that they have ‘added on the weight of expectation’ but for some players the opposite has happened. Last month Ruben Loftus-Cheek told this newspaper he is 14st. FIFA now say he’s shed nearly 3st, which at 6ft 3in puts him in contention for the Tour de France’s polka dot jersey as King of the Mountains.

Those numbers might not add up but the ones Southgate has chosen to give his players came as no great surprise. Jordan Pickford got the No 1 jersey and Dele Alli the No 20 he wanted, meaning Raheem Sterling was given No 10.

If there remains some uncertainty over who starts at left back against Tunisia, Danny Rose can take heart from being given the No 3 shirt ahead of Ashley Young.