Kane warns England to preserve its longstanding team culture after his latest round of criticism to fellow players.
Kane warns England to be careful not to lose the strong team culture they have built.
Prior to Monday’s Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland, nine of the players whom interim head coach Lee Carsley had called up left the team.
Prior to England’s 3-0 victory in Greece, captain Kane expressed his displeasure with the number of withdrawals in an interview with ITV. The 31-year-old striker addressed the media prior to Sunday’s match against the Republic of Ireland.
“I probably didn’t expect it to get as much coverage as it did, but it was my opinion.
“The November camp has always been a difficult camp. Even if you look at other years, other players have pulled out. It’s a tough stage of the season.”
During his tenure, former England manager Gareth Southgate guided the Three Lions to consecutive European Championship finals and a 2018 World Cup semi-final, while also changing the culture inside the national squad.
Kane said such a culture “takes a long time to build and maybe not so long to lose if you’re not careful”.
He added the autumn camps after a major tournament “get forgotten about a little bit”, but are “really important”.
If England defeats the Republic of Ireland in Sunday’s Nations League game at Wembley, they will advance to League A.
“If we win, it sets us up really well for the year ahead going into the [2026] World Cup,” said Bayern Munich forward Kane.
“These are the camps where you build that culture and togetherness that lead you into the World Cup. It is just a reminder that playing for England is really, really special.
“For me personally it is one of the greatest things I do as a professional footballer.”