Captain Harry Kane disappointed by England’s Nations League withdrawals

LONDON – Harry Kane has said that he is disappointed by the high number of withdrawals from the England squad this week, insisting that the national team must come first.

The Three Lions were in Greece for their must-win Nations League match on Nov 14 – the match kicked off after press time – before a Wembley meeting with Ireland on Nov 17.

But interim boss Lee Carsley’s final camp, before the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as the new manager, has been hit by an eye-watering nine pull-outs.

The situation has frustrated captain Kane, who believes that key players should not be absent for a match they must win to stand a chance of automatic promotion back to League A.

Asked if there was one thing former manager Gareth Southgate put in place that senior players need to ensure is not lost, the striker told ITV: “I think the joy to play for England. I think he brought that back.

“Every camp people were excited to come, every camp people wanted to play for England and, yeah, that’s the most important thing. I think England comes before anything.”

The Bayern Munich star added that it was a “shame” that so many players had withdrawn.

“It’s a tough period of the season and maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit,” the 31-year-old said.

“I don’t really like it, if I’m totally honest. I think England comes before anything, any club situation.”

Eight players withdrew from Carsley’s initial 26-man squad for the Nations League double-header, including Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.

Jarrad Branthwaite was among five players brought into the squad but the Everton centre-back did not travel to Greece, with Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah called up in his place.

Carsley insisted that he was simply focusing on the players available to him.

“The focus all camp has been on the players that are here,” he said. “It is important that we make the most of this situation. With the amount of players that have pulled out, it gives other players the opportunity to be here. We’re looking forward to the game.”

The 50-year-old, who will return to managing the England Under-21s after the Nations League games, also sought to sidestep Kane’s comments and said the dropouts were not unusual at this time of year.

“I think it’s his opinion. I can only deal with what’s in front of us,” he said. “With the amount of pullouts we’ve had in this window, historically it has been like that. November has always been a challenging window. The players who are currently here fully deserve to be here and are ready for the game tomorrow.

“Look at the players we’ve brought in. It is really a proud moment for them. The focus is on the players that are here, not the ones that aren’t.” AFP