‘England can’t win World Cup without him’

ENGLAND cannot cope without captain Harry Kane — and certainly cannot win the World Cup without him.

That is according to Mail On Sunday Chief Sports Writer Oliver Holt who, speaking on World Cup Confidential on Mail+, underlined Kane’s importance. ‘We should be biting our nails, I don’t think we can cope without him,’ Holt said before news broke that the Tottenham striker was not badly injured. ‘I don’t think we can win the World Cup without Harry Kane. We can still progress in the competition but he’s our most important player. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves.’ Kane has a problem with his right ankle but there is optimism the 29-year-old will be available for tomorrow’s game against the United States. He created two of England’s six goals as they began the World Cup with victory against Iran. ‘His contributions were overshadowed a bit because of the performance of Jude Bellingham, in particular. But Kane was superb. He links everything, he sets plays up, he holds the ball up,’ Holt added. ‘He’s a really clever player and it would be a heavy blow if he were out.

‘We could cope without him for a couple of games but it would be a heavy blow if he were to be ruled out.’