Captain Harry hails his band of brothers
HARRY KANE believes England’s band of ‘brothers’ will roar their way to the World Cup semi-finals. Manager Gareth Southgate, who has considered giving his midfield a more defensive feel in today’s quarter-final against Sweden by starting with Eric Dier in place of Dele Alli, has nurtured a feeling of togetherness among the squad. And Kane insists the unbreakable bond formed between the players can propel England to glory here in Samara. ‘We’re just like family, ily, really,’ he said. ‘I spoke poke about the togetherness and trust before the tournament, but we always want to prove it on the pitch. We have done that so far. It’s made us even stronger. ‘After that win against Colombia, the he joy on everyone’s faces — we’ve worked soo hard to come through that,hat and it makes us even more proud of each other. I look at them as brothers, and I know they look at me the same. We will do anything for each other and that is what we have to do for the rest of the tournament.’ Southgate will make a late decision on Jamie Vardy today with the Leicester striker struggling to shake off a groin injury sustained in Tuesday’s win over Colombia. If Vardy is unavailable, England remain hopeful he can play a part in the rest of the tournament should they progress. Sportsmail understands the medical team will consider giving Vardy another injection to aid his recovery. Ashley Young has shaken off the minor ankle and thigh problems and is expected to keep his place at left wing-back ahead of Danny Rose. However, there is doubt over Alli’s place. Southgate has experimented with Jordan Henderson Hender alongside Jesse Lingard in the advancedadv midfield rolero usually occupiedo by Alli, with Dier taking the place in front of the back three in training. Alli has suffered non recurrence of the thigh injury that ruled rule him out of the games game against Panama and BelgBelgium. When asked aabout Alli’s impact in Russia so far, Southgate said: ‘Dele’s performance against Tunisia was as good as he’s had since I’ve been England manager. He’s at his best making those forward runs and threatening the opponents through midfield. ‘The other night the game was different and he did a diligent job without the ball for us. We have to encourage him to get into those areas where his strengths lie and he can have an influence.’