Kane is backing England for semis

“We have spent a lot of time with each other. We feel like family”

HARRY KANE believes England’s band of ‘brothers’ will roar their way to the World Cup semi-finals today. The captain says Gareth Southgate’s side have grown so close during their Russian adventure that he views his team-mates as ‘family’.

Manager Southgate — who is considering giving his midfield a more defensive feel in today’s quarter-final against Sweden by handing Eric Dier a start 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, really,’ he said. ‘We’ve spent a lot of time together. We all get on very well. I spoke about the togetherness and trust before the tournament, but we always want to prove it on the pitch and show we can do it on the pitch.

‘We have done that so far. It’s made us even stronger. After that win against Colombia, the joy on everyone’s faces — we worked so hard to come through that and it makes us even more proud of each other.

‘I look at them as my 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.

‘When you go through a battle like that (against Colombia) and come through as winners, it gives you so much energy and so much belief to go and do it again. The feeling after is amazing. So we’re hungry for more. We want that feeling again. If it goes to extra-time and penalties, we’ll be ready for that. If we can win in 90 minutes, then great, but we’re ready to do whatever it takes.’

As Southgate prepares for today’s last-eight encounter with Sweden, he sees in Kane someone special emerging here in Russia. A special leader as well as a match-winner.

‘He handles his role with real maturity and he has recognised the importance of being a voice for the team away from the pitch,’ said the England boss. ‘It was his calmness the other night, the way he led by example. His body language, the way he carried himself. He has an exceptional mentality, real belief in being a top player. You see that commitment every day.

‘Against Colombia, I think it was three-and-a-half minutes from the penalty being given to when they eventually left him alone, using various tactics, and yet I knew he was fine when he picked the ball up for about the fourth time.

‘He reset himself again, didn’t he? Much like you used to see Jonny Wilkinson do. He’s of that sort of mentality and calibre, I think. To go through that again and then take another one on the first long wait, all of those things are sending brilliant messages to the rest of the group.’

Southgate will make a late decision on the availability of Jamie Vardy ahead of this afternoon’s clash as the Leicester striker struggles to shake off a groin injury sustained in Tuesday’s victory over the Colombians.

If Vardy is unavailable, England staff remain hopeful he can play a part in the rest of the tournament should they progress. Sportsmail understands the England medical team will consider giving Vardy another injection to aid the recovery process.

Elsewhere, Ashley Young has shaken off the minor ankle and thigh problems suffered in the previous game and is expected to keep his place at left wing-back ahead of Danny Rose.

However, there was doubt over Alli’s place in the starting XI last night. Southgate has experimented with Jordan Henderson alongside Jesse Lingard in the advanced midfield role usually occupied by Alli, with Dier taking the Liverpool captain’s place in front of the back-three in training since the Colombia game.

Alli is fit after suffering no recurrence of the thigh injury that ruled him out of the games against Panama and Belgium following the win over Colombia. When asked about 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 on the game.’

In the build-up to this encounter, Janne Andersson’s Sweden have cast themselves as the underdogs; players from relatively unglamorous teams versus a collection of highly-paid Premier League superstars. One article this week suggested Kane was worth more than the entire Sweden team put together.

This was put to Kane last night and he said: ‘It has shown over this tournament and over the years that that means nothing.

‘All that matters is that you work hard, have belief as a team and stick together. They’re the most important things. People will say we have better individuals who play for bigger clubs, but it’s about how you play as a team. We’ve done that really well so far.’