Thankfully it wasn’t Harry who got injured
We all had a bit of a laugh when Harry Kane claimed that goal against Stoke City during the season’s run-in, insisting he got a whisper of a touch on the ball.
To practically everyone else, it was Christian Eriksen’s goal, not Kane’s, and the Tottenham striker was mocked for what seemed a not-very-subtle attempt to cling on to Mo Salah’s coat-tails in the race for the Golden Boot.
But now Kane is in Russia trying to win the World Cup for England, that insatiable hunger for the glory that comes with scoring doesn’t seem quite so ridiculous.
Gareth Southgate’s skipper got two against Tunisia in the opener – including the stoppage-time winner that changed the whole mood of the camp ahead of today’s match against Panama.
They were the sort of strikes associated with a pure goalscorer – instinctive and clinical.
For the rest of the 90 minutes, Kane was distinctly average. For those two moments, though, he was world class.
It used to be widely accepted that goalscorers justified their selection on goals alone.
They weren’t asked to do much more than put the ball in the net – Jimmy Greaves, Gerd Muller and Gary Lineker were prime examples.
In the era of the hard press, coaches are looking for more than that. In Kane, Southgate has a willing worker who will chase around in more parts of the pitch than just the penalty area.
But Kane’s goal instinct is unique among the squad. Only Jamie Vardy comes close. You only had to look at the finishing of Jesse Lingard and Raheem Sterling last Monday against the Tunisians.
So Kane is going to need to reproduce his predatory form if England are to go deep into the tournament.
England without Harry is currently looking like Portugal without Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese won the Euros two years ago with a single world-class player and a half-decent squad.
I’m not suggesting England could win this one. But I am saying that whether they return home in credit or debit is largely dependent on Kane’s goals.
It’s a good job it was Southgate who tripped and dislocated his shoulder and not Kane. The striker needs to be kept fit at all costs.
The side will cope without Dele Alli if they have to today. They can cover injuries to every other member of the squad with someone of roughly equivalent ability. They can’t do without Kane.
Southgate has tried very hard to breed a team mentality and dismantle the star culture that existed when Wayne Rooney and David Beckham were skippers.
Kane is the star of this team, whether he or his manager like it or not.
And World Cups are where the stars shine.