Captain Kane unhappy at England squad withdrawals
Captain Harry Kane is unhappy with the number of players who have withdrawn from the latest England squad, insisting “England comes before club”.
Eight players have dropped out of the squad for Lee Carsley’s final two matches as interim manager before Thomas Tuchel takes charge in January.
“I think England comes before anything. England comes before club,” Kane told ITV Sport.
“England is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer and Gareth [Southgate] was hot on that and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions if, you know, that started to drift from certain players.”
When asked if the desire to play for England has drifted this international break, Kane said: “Yeah, it’s a shame this week obviously.
“I think it’s a tough period of the season, maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit.
“I don’t really like it if I’m totally honest. I think England comes before anything, any club situation.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale and Levi Colwill are the players who have dropped out.
England likely must beat Greece in Athens on Thursday and Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Sunday if they are to be promoted to League A of the Uefa Nations League.
Why England’s players withdrew
Full-back Alexander-Arnold was forced off in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.
Midfielder Rice was a doubt going into Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday and was subbed off in the 71st minute.
Saka was also a doubt, but the winger did start for Arsenal before limping off late on.
Chelsea’s Palmer played the duration of the match, despite being a doubt before kick-off.
Goalkeeper Ramsdale reportedly fractured his finger during Southampton’s 2-0 defeat by Wolves on Saturday.
Forward Grealish was named in England’s squad despite not featuring in any of Manchester City’s last seven matches.
Reasons for withdrawals from Chelsea defender Colwill and Manchester City midfielder Foden remain unknown, with both men playing 90 minutes at the weekend.
