Harry Kane has doubled down on his criticism of the players who withdrew from the England squad this month, warning they risk destroying the sense of unity built during Gareth Southgate’s tenure.
Eight members of Lee Carsley’s starting line-up withdrew through injury, while Jarrad Branthwaite also dropped out of the replacement call-up, prompting captain Kane to wonder why the players were wearing “club ahead of the country“.
Many fans have criticized Kane’s stance, with many also taking aim at FIFA for allowing a third international break so early in the club’s season, but the Bayern Munich The forward refused to apologize for his feelings.
“I think I have given my opinion on the matter,” he explained before Sunday’s meeting with the Republic of Ireland. “I think he probably didn’t expect it to get as much coverage as it did.
“But it was my opinion, just my opinion that England is really important. After a big championship like the summer, sometimes those camps in September, October and November get a bit forgotten, in terms of the importance that they have
“If we win against Ireland, it sets us up really well for the World Cup next year. These are the camps where you build that culture and togetherness that takes you to a World Cup. So it was just a reminder that playing with England is really special.”
He continued: “(Positive culture) takes a long time to build, and maybe not so long to lose it if you’re not careful. But I think we know that very well, the experienced players. We have a wide open field. relationship here as players
“I know it’s been portrayed as a dig at the players, but that’s not what I was trying to say. It was just the fact that that’s not something we want to see regularly, and it hasn’t been the case in recent years under Gareth and that’s a very big part of why the team has done so well.”
