Harry Kane unhappy as England's UEFA Nations League squad hit by eight withdrawals - 'England comes before anything'
Updated 14/11/2024 at 14:46 GMT
England captain Harry Kane has been left disappointed by his international team-mates, saying they have "taken advantage" of a "tough period" with eight withdrawals from Lee Carsley's Nations League squad. England face Greece on Thursday before hosting Republic of Ireland on Sunday, in their final outings before Thomas Tuchel takes charge.
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Harry Kane hit out at his England team-mates after eight players withdrew from the squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches, insisting "England comes before anything".
Interim boss Lee Carsley will conclude his Three Lions reign in Nations League clashes against Greece and Republic of Ireland, after making wholesale changes to his squad due to mass withdrawals.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer and Aaron Ramsdale all withdrew from the squad on Monday, and Kane said they have "taken advantage" of a "tough period of the season".
"It’s a shame this week, obviously," he told ITV. "I think it’s a tough period of the season and, yeah, maybe that’s been taken advantage of that a little bit.
"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 Nations League matches will be England's first outings since the announcement that Thomas Tuchel will be taking over the side, following the resignation of Gareth Southgate in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
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And Kane spoke fondly of the departed boss, saying "he brought back" the "joy" of pulling on an England shirt, and felt the squad wanted to participate under his guidance.
Kane added: "I think the joy to play for England [was the key factor Southgate brought]. 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. I think 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."
Tuchel officially takes charge of England from January 1, with the 2026 World Cup his first opportunity to secure the country's first piece of silverware since 1966.
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