KANE: I DON’T NEED TO REST
Skipper hits back over England goalless run and critics’ tiredness claims
HARRY KANE is determined to defy those who believe he is crying out for a rest by leading England into UEFA Nations League battle in Spain tomorrow night.
Kane made it six internationals without a goal when he drew a blank on a frustrating night in Croatia on Friday, his worst run since breaking into the national side three years ago.
But the England skipper, who has 19 goals in 33 games for England and who won the Golden Boot after starring at the World Cup, is adamant his form has not dipped and that he does not need a break. ‘I’ll be ready to go Monday for sure,’ said the Tottenham striker. Kane,
who has scored six in 10 for Tottenham this season, pointed out that he is still second top scorer in the Premier League and said: ‘When you set the standards that I’ve set over the last few years and you feel a little bit below it, people are going to talk. That’s just the game we are in.
‘I’m experienced enough now to know that and not get too high or too low. I just stay focused on my job and what I need to do.’
Kane, who came as close as anyone to breaking the deadlock in Rijeka with a header against the bar, said: ‘I’d like to have scored more for England recently. But as a striker you go through spells where maybe it goes off the bar and other times it comes off your heel and goes in the back of the net like in the World Cup.
‘I don’t think my game has dipped. It has been tough after the World Cup not getting much rest but I think I dealt with it well. I’ve stayed fit and stayed healthy. That’s my main priority at the start of the season. Now it’s building on that and pushing forward over the winter.’
Kane did, however, admit that all the players have had to adjust after the intensity and hysteria of the World Cup. ‘We had an amazing summer, a big high but ending on a low,’ he said. ‘It’s difficult because every game we play for England now is not going to be as big as the semi-final and quarter-final. It’s about adapting to that.’
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, meanwhile, one of England’s breakthrough players at the World Cup, will ask to leave Chelsea on loan in January after seeing his gamble to stay at Stamford Bridge backfire under their new manager Maurizio Sarri.
Loftus-Cheek missed out on Gareth Southgate’s current squad after starting only one game this season. Crystal Palace will again be interested in the midfielder in January but may face competition from Everton and Arsenal.