Gareth Southgate hails Harry Kane's move from Tottenham to Bayern Munich - ‘A lot of positives’

Gareth Southgate has hailed Harry Kane’s transfer to Bayern Munich and believes it can help England in the long term.

Kane joined the reigning Bundesliga champions for a potential €120 million (£104m) fee last month, after a protracted transfer saga.

The Three Lions boss feels that a change of surroundings will be beneficial for his captain, as he gets to grips with a new life in Germany.

Southgate said: "I definitely think from a selfish England perspective it's good that his future's settled now for the next few years.

"I think potentially that can be a distraction for players. But also, it's good for him that he's got to go and perform at a new club now. He's been at one club for so long.

"To have a change means you've got to impress new team-mates, new staff, new fans and also there's the life experience of adjusting to a new country. I think there's a lot of positives there."

The 30-year-old made his debut for the Bavarians in a 3-0 DFL Supercup defeat to RB Leipzig, prompting Thomas Tuchel to make an apology to the England captain for not creating enough chances for him to convert.

However, there has been a quick upturn in fortunes since then, with Kane scoring three goals in his first three Bundesliga appearances.

Kane is coveting a first major piece of silverware in his free-scoring career, after missing out the Champions League title with Tottenham four years ago, and with England at Euro 2020.

He could play his part in a 12th consecutive Bundesliga title for Bayern, while Tuchel’s men will also have their eye on a seventh European Cup trophy this season.

"I'm sure for his own belief that would be brilliant [to win trophies]," Southgate added.

"I'm not sure that he's going to become a better player, but there might be other aspects of the mentality that this move will help him with.

"They're probably the bits that as you get older are the only bits you can improve upon.

"I think the Bundesliga is a bit different to some of the other leagues we've talked about, a bit more transitional.

"There is an intensity to that. We'll have all the data on that from training sessions and matches, so we're able to track that really closely.

"I think the big difference for Harry this year will be that there's going to be a lot of games where they're very dominant and in the opposition third of the pitch, so I think there will be a lot more play for him in the penalty box I suspect than he had in the last couple of seasons."

The 30-year-old will now briefly turn his attention away from club football, as England prepare for a Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine on September 9 in Poland, and a friendly with Scotland at Hampden Park three days later.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is , where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media