Harry Kane makes worried England admission after ‘surprise’ at big-name dropout row

Harry Kane has taken aim at some of his England teammates choosing not to join up with the current Three Lions squad for clashes against Greece and the Republic of Ireland

Harry Kane is worried for England’s spirit after hitting out at the Three Lions’ pullouts.

Lee Carsley’s side has been decimated by injuries this international break. There were a total of nine withdrawals ahead of Thursday’s clash with Greece.

And that has continued with Ezri Konsa’s exit after he picked up an injury in Athens. Ahead of the game, England captain Kane claimed the amount of pullouts was a “shame” and he “didn’t like it”.

He also underlined how much importance players should put on representing their country. And speaking ahead of this weekend’s clash with the Republic of Ireland, Kane admitted surprise at the ongoing row, but did not waver from his original stance.

“It [togetherness] takes a long time to build and maybe not so long to lose if you’re not careful,” the England captain said. ”Ultimately, we have had some really good tournaments and it is about using that experience, sharing those experiences to the players who haven’t had as much exposure to that.

“I didn’t expect it to get as much coverage as it did. The November camp has always been a difficult camp. Even when you look at other years, there have been players who have pulled out. It is a tough stage of the season. You are carrying injuries, you are in the heart of a lot of games.

“It is just my opinion that England is really important. After a major championship like the summer, sometimes these September, October and November camps get forgotten about a little bit, just in terms of how important they are because if we win tomorrow now, it sets us up really well for the year ahead to the World Cup.

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“These are the camps as well where you deal with that culture and togetherness that leads you into a World Cup. It was just a reminder that playing for England is really, really special and for me personally is one of the greatest things I do as a professional footballer and I will always try and do it whenever I am available.”

Despite the number of drop-outs severely limiting interim boss Lee Carsley’s options, it could still turn out to be a very productive international break for England. The 3-0 win against Greece leaves them top of their Nations League group.

A victory against Ireland would guarantee promotion. A draw would also be enough so long as Greece do not win their final match against Finland.

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