England captain Harry Kane does not consider himself undroppable as Gareth Southgate’s men focus on Friday’s Euro 2020 clash with old foes Scotland.
All eyes will be on Wembley when the oldest international rivals in world football go toe to toe in a crunch Group D encounter in front of a loud, if restricted, crowd.
England head into the match fresh from this past Sunday’s 1-0 win over World Cup finalists Croatia, whereas Scotland are reeling from their bruising 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic at Hampden Park.
Patrik Schick’s outrageous long-range strike settled a match that adds extra spice to Friday’s group game, which brings back memories of Paul Gascoigne’s stunning goal at Euro 96.
‘That is such a good game in the history of English football,’ Kane said of that 2-0 Wembley win.
‘Gazza’s goal was one of the greatest goals an Englishman has ever scored in a European competition.
‘Obviously, there are nice memories to take from that but we just need to focus on this one. We are expecting a tough game against a good side, so that is all we can do.
‘Scotland were good. Obviously, we will be looking at the game and assessing that game and looking at the things we can exploit. All in all, we are ready for a tough game.
‘[It was] unbelievable [from Schick as], to see the keeper off the line is one thing but then to be able to put it in the back of the net is another. Probably the goal of the tournament – that will be a hard one to beat.
‘Every now and then I will look for that one. The keepers today like to play as sweepers waiting for that ball in between, so if there is a ricochet or an opening, I like to try and look for that one.
‘You never know, we might get another one this tournament.’
Kane will no doubt be taking a peek to see if David Marshall strays off his line at Wembley, where the skipper is sure to be one of the first names on the team sheet despite a quiet game against Croatia.
The 27-year-old was tightly marshalled and did not make much of an impact in front of goal, but Southgate was happy with his selfless performance in difficult conditions.
Asked if he is undroppable, Kane told ITV: ‘You will have to ask Gareth but I never look at it that way.
‘We have great competition for places. Dominic [Calvert-Lewin] has come in and done great.
‘For me it is about training, how I train every day. Try and be the best and try and improve every day and when I play, try and give my best for the team.
‘I think that is what everyone is doing at the moment and I am sure there will be rotation among all the players in this tournament and everyone is waiting for the chance to try and make an impact.’
The only way it seems likely that Kane would miss a match is if Southgate looks to manage load, should qualification from the group be wrapped up early, or through injury.
It had looked like the skipper had been injured colliding with the goalframe when stretching to reach a cross, but he insists there is no lasting damage.
‘I’m good, I’m good,’ Kane said. ‘Thankfully I got my face out the way. I took one in the ribs but I am all good and all ready to go.’
Kane also offered a positive update on Jack Grealish, who was an unused substitute against Croatia and trained away from the main group on Tuesday.
‘Jack is good,’ he added. ‘It is just one of them where they are just managing him a little bit.
‘He didn’t play too much at the back end of the season. Like always in these tournaments you need to manage certain players at that is all it is with Jack.
‘I am sure he will be training tomorrow.’
