Ian Wright furiously slams Harry Kane for calling out England stars - but Roy Keane disagrees
England captain Harry Kane delivered a frank interview as several players pulled out of Lee Carsley's squad for the UEFA Nations League matches against Greece and Ireland
by Tom Victor · The MirrorIan Wright and Roy Keane took different slants on on Harry Kane's comments about his England colleagues after nine players withdraw from the squad to face Greece and Ireland in the UEFA Nations League,
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Cole Palmer, Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka all pulled out of the squad ahead of Thursday's game in Greece. Morgan Rogers, Jarrod Bowen, Jarrad Branthwaite, Tino Livramento and James Trafford all came in, only for Branthwaite to pull out and Jarell Quansah to take his place.
England captain Kane appeared to take aim at those who pulled out, arguing "England comes before anything". However, Wright wasn't delighted by the skipper's comments.
"It's a shame this week obviously," Kane - who starts on the bench against Greece - told ITV in the lead-up to the game. "Yeah, I think it's a tough period of the season and maybe that's been taken advantage of a little bit. I don't really like it if I'm totally honest. I think as I just said there England comes before anything, any club situation.
Speaking on ITV before kick-off in Greece, Wright said: "I was very surprised, if I'm being totally honest, We're taling about somebody that's been in the trenches with those guys.
Wright pointed to the praise Kane gave to the togetherness England achieved under Gareth Southgate, comparing it with the captain's own reaction to his team-mates' decisions. "Going from all that unity in the squad to then, a few withdrawals and then you're hearing [about] the lack of commitment," he continued.
"For Harry to say that about the people he's been in the trenches with - two finals, semi-finals of the World Cup, knowing the calibre of the players - to say he's disappointed to see them not coming, especially with the fixtures and [players] going crazy with the amount of games they're having to play, it was a bit of a shock to me to be honest."
Was Harry Kane wrong to speak out? Have your say in the comments section
"That was the noise always coming out of the England camp for the last few years, that they're all in it together, they're proud to play for their country, they'll always turn up," he said.
"The timing was always strange for Harry Kane to have a go there, but he's a senior player and he's entitled to give his opinion, whatever, and life goes on. I think the biggest surprise for me to night is Harry Kane's not playing."
When pushed further, though, Keane queried which players Kane had in mind with his comments. "A lot of these players have turned up week in, week out for England and their club and they're always available, so which lads is he talking about?" he added.
Wright had earlier pointed out that Thomas Tuchel has been confirmed as England's next permanent manager, but won't take over until January, with Lee Carsley in charge for the November break. "We're talking about a period of time where, at this kind of break, where players have seen that the FA themselves have chosen not to have the manager for this game," he said earlier on in ITV's coverage
"What kind of message are you sending to the managers, to the players?" Wright added. "I'm not going to blame the players, I'm not going to question the integrity of the players in respects of them joining up, but if they've got the knocks and they feel like 'you know what, we're going to sit out this one', then the opportunity should be for the people who are coming in."
Fellow pundit Keane also sympathised, saying: "It's a difficult one to answer because you don't know how many players would have been involved, but players obviously are genuinely injured, some players don't want to take risks. If the new manager was there, yeah of course you would have thought one or two would have made more of an effort. You just have to trust your players that they are injured and they'll get that opportunity to impress the manager over the next few months."
The series of withdrawals comes against a backdrop of players taking issue with the number of matches they have been forced to play. Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, one of the most vocal critics of the busy schedule, has since sustained a season-ending ACL injury.
"With everything we're saying here, the bigger issue is the calendar, is the schedule," Wright added. "That's what it comes down to - the managers are talking about it, players are talking about it, people are getting injured. And they're glossing over that."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read ourPrivacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package
£46 (was £56)
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.