Harry Kane has admitted that he was surprised by the amount of media coverage surrounding his comments about the withdrawal of several England teammates.
In an interview with ITV that aired on the eve of England’s crucial clash with Greece on Thursday, Kane expressed his displeasure after nine players withdrew from the squad.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Declan Rice, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Aaron Ramsdale and Jarrad Branthwaite pulled out of interim manager Lee Carsley’s squad just days before the Three Lions’ game in Athens, which they won 3-0.
Ollie’s Athens opener 🫶
Shot on Google Pixel. pic.twitter.com/bmrrVc2rY0
— England (@England) November 15, 2024
And the England captain seemed far from impressed, insisting that playing for your country must always come before club commitments.
Asked on Saturday whether playing for England might matter less to some of the players than to him, Kane said: “I don’t think he said that. I think I gave my opinion on the matter. You probably didn’t expect the interview to get as much coverage as it did.
“But it was my opinion. November camp has always been a difficult camp, even when you look at other years there have been players who have withdrawn.
“It was just my opinion that England is important. These are the camps where you build that culture and camaraderie that takes you to a World Cup.
“I think all the players try to give their best every time they come to England. Who is in the call is the most important thing.
“It was just a reminder that playing for England is really, really special. “For me, it is one of the biggest things I do as a professional footballer and I always try to do it when I am available.”
Locked in 🔐 pic.twitter.com/YSc5KKpJgy
— England (@England) November 16, 2024
After being left out of the starting eleven against Greece, Carsley confirmed that Kane will play on Sunday against the Republic of Ireland, although it was unclear whether Kane would start the match.
The England captain also called on the Premier League to reinstate a winter break and said a wider conversation needs to be had about the increasingly busy football calendar.
There will be no mid-season break for players in the English top flight this season, despite previously including a two-week winter break.
Meanwhile, Kane, now in his second season at Bayern Munich, will benefit from the Bundesliga’s winter break next month as the league pauses action between December 23 and January 10.
“It would be great if they had the winter break,” Kane said.
“We had it for two years in the Premier League and I think it was very well received by the players. It’s a shame they eliminated it again.”
What a shift from all the boys! Massive win to have the group in our hands. Congrats Lewis, Morgan and Curtis on your debuts 🙌🏴 pic.twitter.com/YVkJcSSGga
— Harry Kane (@HKane) November 14, 2024
Speaking about whether the winter break in Germany last season benefited him, the striker added: “It was my first experience of a longer winter break last season and I felt like it really helped me. That’s probably a broader conversation about the calendar and how it can be benefited.”
Kane said something needs to change regarding the football calendar and urged football’s governing body to take players’ concerns into account.
“There are conversations that need to be had behind the scenes.
“If it’s going to change soon, I’m not sure.
“It’s hard to say from my point of view, but I think there’s definitely a sense that something needs to change to benefit the players more. But it is not always an easy situation.”
