Harry Kane sends message to former England teammate as latter announces international retirement
England captain Harry Kane sent a heartwarming message to former teammate Kieran Trippier after the latter announced his retirement from international football. The Newcastle United full-back made 54 appearances for the Three Lions, with his solitary goal coming during England's defeat to Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2018 semi-final.
Harry Kane took to his Instagram Story to congratulate his former England and Tottenham Hotspur teammate. Posting pictures from Trippier's national team debut and his goal celebration against Croatia, Kane wrote:
"Congratulations mate. Been a pleasure."
The two have played together in 130 games with Trippier assisting Harry Kane 11 times for both club and country.
Trippier announced his international retirement via an Instagram post on August 29. The announcement came right before Lee Carsley was slated to announce the English squad for the upcoming Nations League games.
On his Instagram post, Trippier wrote:
"I never thought as a young lad from Bury that I would play for my country let alone achieve 54 caps. It’s been one of the biggest honours of my life to represent my country at 4 major tournaments."
The 33-year-old went on to express his gratitude to his teammates, and managers, recalling the major career milestones they achieved together.
"I want to say a big thank you to Gareth and all the staff that have worked with the England squad for the trust they have placed in me throughout the years. Thank you to all my team mates - we have had some very special moments reaching 2 Euro finals, and a World Cup semi final and I am sure in the future this group of players will win a major tournament. I want to wish Lee, the coaching staff and the team all the best for the future," he added.
Trippier ended the note with a note of thanks to the English fans for their unwavering support.
Harry Kane named in England's Nations League squad for September fixtures
England's Euro 2024 final defeat was followed by Gareth Southgate's resignation after an eight-year spell with the national side. It prompted the English FA to appoint U-21 manager Lee Carsley as the interim manager of the senior side.
On August 29, Carsley selected his first English squad for the Nations League games in September. Harry Kane was included in the attack along with regulars like Bukayo Saka, and Ollie Watkins.
Carsley also gave Chelsea's Noni Madueke his first senior call-up after his hat-trick against the Wolverhampton Wanderers. Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish were brought back after their exclusion from the Euro 2024 squad by Southgate.
One notable absentee from the side was Jude Bellingham, who has been sidelined due to an injury. Newcastle's Nick Pope was in the lineup while Aaron Ramsdale didn't get a call-up from Carsley.
The Three Lions will face Ireland on September 7 and Finland on September 10.