Del boy so keen on Kane
the v ic e - captain and then captain. “To see the likes of him and young Danny, whom I took on his first loan when I was at Watford, it’s great. “They are a very good squad and have real strength in depth. “Ruben Loftus-Cheek was a young player when I was at Chelsea and it’s great to see him. “He is a big talent too and what’s unique about Ruben is that he is built like a centre-half but has the skills of a top- class attacking player. He’s a wonderful young player. He is 6ft 4in but has great mobility. “I watch the World Cup for different reasons. My good friend is the coach of Mexico, Juan Osorio, and I have loved watching his team play.
“Watching our own [Celtic] players, I want to see them do well.
“And then watching it f rom a tactical perspective. There are few teams pressing the game, lots more sitting in and being more compact, so you look at it for mant reasons.” Rodgers, meanwhile, has confessed he’s’ now a fan of the VAR system.
He said: “I was sceptical of it when I saw it in some of the games down south.
“A L i v e r pool game where there was seven minutes [of delay]. I honestly felt it could spoil football.
“But to be fair to the officials it has, in the main, worked very well.
“It has been slick, decisions made with no real lag time. And a lot of the decisions have been right.” Legendary Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, who guided his country to a World Cup and European Championship double, believes Harry Kane can lead England to glory too.
Del Bosque knows better than almost anyone what it takes to build a successful international side.
His team were crowned world champions in South Africa in 2010 and followed it up by claiming a second successive Euro crown two years later.
Now the coach, who famously won all of his first 13 matches in charge of Spain, is keeping a close eye on the Three Lions and star striker Kane.
The Spurs hitman netted five times in the group stage, more than any player at the World Cup, and did it in just two games.
Now Del Bosque is backing him to shine again in the knockout stage.
He said: “I wouldn’t say Harry Kane is a surprise to me, not when he is a big international player from England and plays at a great club like Tottenham.
“But he arrived in the tournament in good form and has continued it.
“He is certainly one of the names you have to take into account for the Golden Boot in Russia.
“To have five goals in two matches in a World Cup is not easy.”
Kane was rested for the final group game against Belgium – where a 1- 0 loss saw the English finish as runners-up.
That has opened up an easier path to the final – but only if England can find a way past a dangerous Colombia side in the last 16 on Tuesday.
Del Bosque warned: “Playing against Colombia in the last 16 will not be easy. But I expect Kane to do well.
“If you ask me who is going to win the World Cup I always look at Spain.
“But it is very open this year and England are certainly contenders.”