Gareth Southgate calls on England forwards to share goal-scoring responsibilities with Harry Kane
Southgate added that it's simply impossible to drop Kane at the moment given his form
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Your support makes all the difference.Gareth Southgate has called on the rest of England's attack to help Harry Kane out with goals, so that the side don't become overly dependent on the free-scoring Tottenham Hotspur striker.
Southgate also reflected on how he has a number of players available to him capable of scoring, but that it is simply impossible to rest Kane at the moment given the form he's in.
"What’s important is that the likes of [Marcus] Rashford, [Dele] Alli and [Raheem] Sterling, [Adam] Lallana can also provide those goals," Southgate said. "We have to get goals from other areas. Fantastic if we have a centre forward like Harry but what if we don’t have him for a game? So again Rashford, 19, Alli, 20, so I had Harry at that age and he wasn’t the finished article either. Those guys have the potential to come through as well.
"Sometimes the others need opportunity... I think [Jamie] Vardy is an important player for us as well, and will score goals, and give us a different threat with his pace. We have goalscorers. It would be illogical not to play Harry at this time. Which means others aren’t able to fill the No 9 role. Were they given that opportunity, Vardy has scored in games for us. Rashford certainly will.
"I agree it is positioning on the field with Vardy, Kane, Rashford particular where there is the most intense competition we’ve got, [Danny] Welbeck you could add into that as well."
That is also why Southgate said he couldn't start Daniel Sturridge just yet, given he has not played much for Liverpool either.
“The first thing to say is although we made changes to the attacking line-up, that was one I wanted to see. It was one I think it was important to play them together. I don’t think it was a B side. In terms of Daniel, it’s like a couple of others, they need to be playing regularly with the club and playing as well as possible.
"He had a couple of starts but opportunities have been a bit limited, so very difficult to start him in an England shirt if that’s the case... That is the challenge, Daniel knows that. He’s a player who has played an important part earlier in the campaign, he has quality and confidence will come from scoring goals at club level.”
Southgate also again praised the immediate impact of Harry Winks, after the Tottenham youngster sparkled in his international debut.
“Winks is a real plus because we were thinking people like [Fabian] Delph would come in to that, but Winks was one we thought might take longer but today was the perfect game to give Winks a feel of playing for England. But I am also conscious he’s a very young player and at a very formative stage of his career.”
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