Harry Kane was on form for England in their 2-0 win over Albania on Sunday and the importance of keeping him fit for this summers European Championships cannot be underestimated.
That’s the view of Three Lions legend Stuart Pearce after watching the Tottenham striker score and get an assist in the World Cup qualifier.
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Kane was on a streak of six games for his country without scoring, in a run stretching back to 2019, but made no mistakes against Albania.
It may have been his first goal for England this season, but his incredible form overall was highlighted by his club after the game.
They tweeted that he’s played 47 games for club and country this season, with 27 goals and 18 assists. A total of 45 goal involvements in 2020/21.
Euro 2020 is being played this summer after being shelved last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Tottenham striker would have been in a race to be fit for the tournament having picked up a hamstring injury on January 1, 2020.
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As we edge closer to this summer’s tournament, any injuries could have disastrous consequences for Kane and England.
Pearce underlined just how vital the striker is for Southgate and his side.
“You can’t underestimate the importance of keeping Harry Kane fit for a major tournament,” he told talkSPORT.
“How we’ll fair this year if Harry stays fit compared to how we would have fared last summer if the tournament went ahead without him, will be something we never know. But he’s so important to us.”
Captain Kane was pleased with the performance as the Three Lions made it six points from six.
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He said on ITV: “I thought it was a really good performance, it is never easy coming away from home against a tough side.
“Maybe a little bit slow to start, we changed our formation halfway through the first half and that definitely helped, we got more runners into the box, more attacking play and getting a goal before the break was great.
“I thought we controlled the second half, they didn’t create too many chances, so overall a good night.”
Kane admitted he was never worried about his six-game drought in front of goal for England.
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He added: “I have always said as a striker, sometimes you go through spells where everything you touch goes in and sometimes it just doesn’t go your way, I think I had a few off the line in that spell and an offside goal that I don’t think was offside.
“That is part of being a striker, you just have to stay focused on doing your job for the team and thankfully we did that as a team and it is great to get the three points.”
There has been renewed transfer speculation surrounding the Spurs striker following his comments in an interview ahead of the Albania game.
When asked about the speculation over his future, Kane told The Telegraph: “It’s important that all my focus is on the two England games coming up now and the rest of the season with Spurs and then the Euros. To be thinking about speculation or rumours would be damaging in terms of my own performance.
“I’m fully focussed on doing the job on the pitch from now until the end of the summer, and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
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Speaking after the game, ITV pundit Roy Keane said he thought Kane needs to leave the north London club if he wants trophies.
Keane said: “If you are a top player you want to win the big trophies. There’s a big few months coming up for Tottenham – the League Cup final and can they get into the top four? That’s a huge question mark, will it influence him?
“He’s under contract and Tottenham will have a lot to say about it. But if you are in his shoes this summer, l think he has to move to win the big prizes. He’s not going to do it at Tottenham.”
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