Kane’s goal is to make his nation proud
SKIPPER VOWS TO RESTORE FANS’ FAITH
ENGLAND skipper Harry Kane believes his side can repair their country’s tattered reputation following the embarrassing showings at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.
Kane was part of the England side that suffered global humiliation at the hands of minnows Iceland in France two years ago.
But the Tottenham striker is on a personal mission to restore some pride.
‘One hundred per cent we want to make the nation proud again,’ said Kane. ‘We feel that we can do that, so all we can do is fight on the pitch and give 100 per cent in every game. I am sure the country will take to that.’
Fresh from signing a new £90million six-year contract with Tottenham last week, Kane will go into the tournament free of any distractions.
A prolific tournament would only have intensified persistent speculation linking him with Real Madrid. Eventually, a move to Spain may become a reality, particularly if his career continues on its current trajectory and Tottenham’s trophy drought drags on.
But, at least for now, Kane is seeking success in the white of Spurs he adorns at the moment.
Winning silverware with the North London club seems a far more realistic opportunity than ending England’s 52-year wait for a major trophy.
Not that you would know it judging by the England captain’s optimism.
‘It is hard to look beyond the World Cup — I don’t think any player would tell you any different,’ said Kane.
‘It is the one competition that everybody dreams of winning. That is the No1, first and foremost. Obviously I understand you have got the Champions League and Premier League.
‘There are so many big competitions and they are every season.
‘But for me I don’t think it gets much bigger than the World Cup.
‘I would be surprised if the majority of players did not say the World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world.
‘I would love to win everything with Tottenham, but for me personally the World Cup outweighs them all.’
It will be interesting to see how Kane juggles his captaincy duties with shouldering the burden of England’s hopes in front of goal.
Despite his quiet persona, Kane insists he will have no qualms about laying down the law to his team-mates.
He said: ‘I can do rollickings, but we can all do that. I’ve always been someone who is vocal to push players, to push myself. I try to lead by example.
‘When players are having a good or bad day, there are players around who can see that and do something about it.’
But it is in front of goal where Kane is expected to have the greatest impact over the coming weeks. His 13 goals in 24 international appearances is impressive. However, the 24-year-old is yet to score in a major tournament for England.
Of course, he has only played in one — the ill-fated Euro 2016 campaign. But given he also fired blanks in the European Under-21 Championships in 2015, Kane knows serious questions will be raised if he fails to hit the target again.
‘It’s something I want to change, hopefully this summer. I’ve always felt you go through spells,’ the striker added.
‘The ball goes in, sometimes it doesn’t — like August every year for me. That’s part of the game.
‘But I always look at my game and see how I can get better. So that’s big tournaments.
‘That’s only one for me but there is the Under-21s, as well. But I want to score in tournament football and that’s what I will try to do.’
Meanwhile, England could be forced to cope with a dramatic rise in temperature when they transfer from their World Cup training base to Volgograd for their opening game.
Southgate’s squad today head to Repino, close to the Finnish border, with the temperature expected to be as low as 15 degrees for their first training session tomorrow.
But they then travel more than 1,000 miles south to Volgograd for their first group game against Tunisia on Monday with the mercury expected to rise as high as 33 degrees there by the end of this week.
A more southerly training base in Sochi had been considered by the FA but Southgate thought it was too hot when he visited the city that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. Instead, the England manager opted for Repino after a pre-tournament build-up at St George’s Park.
And while the unusually warm temperatures in the UK will have assisted England’s players in becoming acclimatised, Volgograd could present a major challenge. It could even be significantly hotter by the time they meet their north African opposition. According to sources, Southgate and his staff are unconcerned and believe this England side is good enough to dictate the pace of the game against Tunisia.