Harry Kane believes he is a better player than when he won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup, as he dismissed criticism of his performance in the opening match of the European Championship.
The Three Lions captain was replaced by Jude Bellingham with eight minutes remaining to win over Croatia in Sunday’s 1-0 win in Group D, having been quiet throughout the match.
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Kane remains confident as England prepare to face Scotland
There has been scrutiny of his performance in that game, but that won’t affect the 27-year-old, who heads into Friday’s game against Scotland at Wembley full of confidence.
Kane scored six goals at the World Cup in Russia three years ago and hopes the goals will flow again for him this summer.
When asked how it compares now to 2018 when England reached the semi-finals, he said: “I have much more experience, my understanding of the game is much better.
“I feel like I’ve gotten better at knowing when to sink deep, when to run behind using that to my advantage. It’s not that easy for defenders, sometimes they don’t know whether to go all the way or stay behind and you saw it this season at the club level. It works well.
“I am a player who takes each game differently. I will evaluate the game as I play and see what works best for the team and how I can help the team the most.
“But sure, in the last few years, I have definitely become a better player and I hope to continue doing so for the next three years as well. It was great to win the Golden Boot in a World Cup, but that was three years ago.
“I am confident in that, knowing that I have done it on the biggest stage. [Scotland] I play, I am not a forward who gets too carried away if I score two or three or if I don’t score in a couple of games ”.
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Kane hopes to open his Euro 2020 scoring account against Scotland
There has been speculation about where Kane will practice his trade next season, while Tottenham’s prolonged search for a new manager has also been something the forward insists has not been on his mind.
“It is very rare to have a tournament at home and for me personally this is the closest it will get,” he said.
“We have to try to use that to our advantage as much as possible. That’s all I’m concentrating on.
England will reserve their place in the round of 16 with a win over Scotland and Kane says they must at least match their semi-final appearance at the World Cup three years ago to avoid any disappointment.
“I think that’s the goal,” he said.
“If we don’t reach a semi-final, we would all be disappointed as players, as a country and also as a staff.
“I think we have moved in the right direction in the last three or four years, so the next step is to go one step further, at least, and try to reach that final and hopefully try to win it.
“I think we all have to believe that we can win it. That is the reason why we are in this competition to try to win it ”.
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