"Needs to do a lot better" - Gary Lineker critiques England superstar's performance in their 1-1 draw with Denmark at Euro 2024
BBC pundit Gary Lineker has slammed Harry Kane's performance in England's 1-1 draw with Denmark in Euro 2024 on Thursday (June 20). The Bayern Munich striker looked lacklustre but managed to bag The Three Lions' only goal of the contest in the 18th minute.
Breaking down the former Tottenham Hotspur man's performance, Lineker said (via GOAL):
"As a striker, you have two jobs, score goals, which Harry Kane has been good at all his career, and make space. He needs his manager to come to him and ask a little bit more from him. I would have expected that if I'd put in that kind of performance.
"Against a back three, he has to stretch the play, run one way and then come in short so you don't have to come too far to receive it. He needs to make more space for the midfield players behind him to create chances."
He added:
"In all honesty, Harry Kane needs to do a lot better. His movement was minimal. He didn't look to go behind and he doesn't often, but even when he comes short he's drifting very lethargically, he's plodding short and that's not going to help."
Despite Linker's criticism, Kane is still England's most prolific goalscorer. He comes into this tournament on the back of a wonderful campaign in terms of finding the net with Bayern Munich.
This season, he's made 45 appearances across competitions for the Bavarian outfit, bagging 44 goals and 12 assists. If Gareth Southgate wishes to shake things up, he's also got a red-hot Ollie Watkins on the bench.
Breaking down Harry Kane's performance for England v Denmark
Harry Kane was fairly average in England's 1-1 draw with Denmark on Thursday. He took 22 touches of the ball, registered a passing accuracy of 87% and made one key pass.
The 30-year-old forward played one accurate long ball from two attempts, won one of his two ground duels, and triumphed in his only aerial battle. He lost possession on four occasions throughout the game.
Kane also took just one shot in this contest, which was England's solitary goal that came from a scrappy situation within the penalty area. Overall, he has played 93 matches across competitions for The Three Lions, bagging 64 goals.
Kane will be expected to do better when England play their final group match against Slovenia on Tuesday (June 25).