England talisman Harry Kane claims he has become a ‘better player’ since the 2018 World Cup… and insists his uncertain Tottenham future will not distract him during Euro 2020
Harry Kane claimed that the uncertainty over his Tottenham future will not distract him during the European Championship and said he is a better player than when he won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup.
The England captain told Spurs he wanted to be sold before the Euros began, an ambitious request which has so far failed to materialise, with the club’s search for a new manager taking another twist when they broke off talks with Paulo Fonseca and opened negotiations with Gennaro Gattuso.
Tottenham’s failure to secure a replacement for Jose Mourinho two months after his dismissal has vindicated Kane’s fears about the club’s direction, with Julian Nagelsmann, Brendan Rodgers, Erik ten Hag, Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte all ruling themselves out before the abortive approach for Fonseca.
England striker Harry Kane has claimed he has improved as a player since the 2018 World Cup
Kane, 27, has brushed such concerns aside and insists his only focus is leading England to Euro glory.
‘It’s rare to have a home tournament and this is as close as it’s going to get,’ he said. ‘We’ve got to try to use that to our advantage. That’s all I’m focused on right now. It’s a massive tournament and I know how much it means to the country.
‘We haven’t won a major trophy for a long time so to achieve that with a lot of the games at Wembley would be incredible. That’s all I’m focused on, that’s all the team are focused on and we’ll do our best to go as far as possible.’
Kane is also adamant that his uncertain future will not affect his performances at Euro 2020
Kane had a quiet afternoon in England’s opening win over Croatia on Sunday, but believes his all-round game has improved since his breakthrough tournament in Russia which brought him six goals.
‘I’ve become a better player and I’ll hopefully continue to do that over the next three years as well,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a lot more experience, my game understanding is a lot better. I feel like I’ve got better at knowing when to drop deep and when to run in behind, using that to my advantage.
‘We all have to believe we can win it. That’s the reason we’re in this competition, to try to win it. That’s the only way you’re going to get far in tournaments. Of course we believe we can win it.’