Harry Kane Criticizes England Teammates for Withdrawing from National Squad – ‘I Don’t Really Like It’
Harry Kane has criticized his England teammates for withdrawing from the squad ahead of a critical match against Greece, suggesting some players may be exploiting the temporary coaching situation. His comments follow the withdrawal of eight players from interim manager Lee Carsley’s lineup on Monday.
“It’s a shame this week, obviously. I think it’s a tough period of the season and, yeah, maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit,” Kane told ITV. “I don’t really like it if I’m totally honest. I think, like I just said there, England comes before anything, any club situation.”
The absences include key players Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who were originally selected for the squad but were pulled by their club managers.
Kane praised former manager Gareth Southgate’s emphasis on national commitment, adding, “I think the joy to play for England. I think he brought that back. I think every camp people were excited to come, every camp people wanted to play for England and, yeah, that’s the most important thing.”
Reaffirming England’s priority, Kane concluded, “England comes before anything. England comes before club. England is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer, and Gareth was hot on that and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions if, you know, that started to drift from certain players.”
