BOSS.. LET ME KANE ’EM
Harry’s desperate to maul minnows to give his goals record a healthy boost
HARRY KANE has pleaded with England boss Gareth Southgate to unleash him on San Marino.
England travel there tonight needing just one point from their final qualifier to book a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Kane wants the chance to face one of the world’s lowest ranked teams to boost his international goals record.
The England captain plundered a hattrick in Friday’s 5-0 thrashing of Albania to take his tally to 44 in 66 appearances and is now just nine behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time record.
Kane was left seething after failing to start both qualifying games against Andorra and Southgate is not about to make the same mistake again.
He said: “He’s quick to let me know he hasn’t played in those games.
“When we are picking a team, no matter what the opponent, we are always thinking about having the right balance and leadership, in any game.
“If you don’t have the right leaders on the pitch and you don’t start the game well, then it can lead to anxiety and if you have not got enough experience around, that can lead to unnecessary difficult moments.
“With Harry, I don’t think it would be right to treat this game any differently to any other by giving you the team.
“But, for sure, he is keen to play. He wants to play.
“We have got to make sure we get this game won and we still have to try to qualify for the World Cup. We should never take qualification for granted.”
Southgate, meanwhile, insists he deserves a bumper new deal.
The England boss is close to signing a two-year contract extension worth £6million-a-year that will see him remain in the post until 2024.
Critics fear this could come back to haunt the FA should Southgate and his stars flop at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar next winter. Back in 2012 Fabio Capello signed a new deal on the eve of the World Cup in South Africa, but saw England crash out to Germany 4-1 in the last 16 and he resigned 20 months later.
Southgate believes his recent record in charge justifies the FA’s desperation to tie him down to a new agreement.
He has led his side to a World Cup semi-final and Euros final since 2018 and he said: “We can deliberately do that before the summer and therefore you’d never have a contract if you didn’t judge somebody before a tournament.
“So I think on the back of two tournaments and progress made, that’s a more acceptable sort of conversation to be having.
“But then equally, time wise, because we needed to qualify, I didn’t think it would be right to be holding too much of those detailed discussions ahead of such a tight schedule of qualifying matches as well.
“I can understand people are always going to have a view of whatever way you do it.
“I think we have tried to do it professionally by focusing on the summer and on qualification and we will see where it leads after that.”
Southgate has warned that those who continue to snub Under-21 call-ups will have no chance of gatecrashing his squad for the World Cup.
He said: “The process is simple. The boys with the Under-21s come and train with us, we know what they’ve been doing in terms of their training load.”