Didi Hamann has accused Three Lions captain Harry Kane of doing ‘nothing’ for England at Euro 2024 and says his form should ‘concern’ club side Bayern Munich.
Despite scoring in the 1-1 draw with Denmark, Kane largely struggled in the group stage of the Euros, with several pundits suggesting he should be dropped for the more mobile and speedy Ollie Watkins.
It looked as though Kane’s underwhelming form in Germany would continue in England’s first knockout game as he struggled to make an impact against Slovakia, but the 30-year-old found himself in the right place at the right time to head home the extra-time winner that sent Gareth Southgate’s side through to Saturday’s quarter-final against Switzerland.
Kane’s goal was not enough to appease Hamann, however, with the ex-Bayern Munich midfielder criticising England’s record goalscorer for his output at the Euros.
Hamann also says Bayern should be ‘very, very concerned’ watching Kane’s performances for England after signing the striker from Tottenham last summer.
Kane enjoyed an impressive but trophyless first season at the Allianz Arena, scoring 44 goals in 45 games for Bayern.
‘I said a week ago that if I was working for Bayern Munich and watching Kane’s performances for England, I would be having cold sweats,’ Hamann told GamblingZone.
‘You could see that England looked a lot more dangerous when Ollie Watkins came on – he had a couple of chances within five minutes because he makes runs.
‘Kane doesn’t make runs. I’m sure he would love to be able to make the same runs as Watkins, but he can’t.
‘Obviously, Kane is a player who likes to drop in, but in the first game against Serbia, he had two touches in the first half. He’s very static.
‘If your centre forward doesn’t have that pace, then you make things more difficult for your team because your game becomes too predictable.
‘You need your focal point to do more, you need them to make runs because it opens up spaces for other players to exploit. England’s game is so static because Kane is so static.
‘If you’re looking for a player that can score a tap-in or a close-range header, Kane does a job, but if that is all you offer as England’s main striker and captain, then I think some of the strikers from the past twenty or thirty odd years would fancy lacing up their boots and having a go. It’s not enough.
‘The fact that England are still in the tournament has nothing to do with Harry Kane.
‘Jude Bellingham got his goal, Ivan Toney flicked things on for Kane. He needs to do something at this tournament – he hasn’t done anything in four games other than put away a couple of sitters.
‘He’s the biggest earner at Bayern Munich. He’s got three years left on his contract. If I was watching him as a Bayern official, I would be very, very concerned about his ability to be the main man at this level.’
England’s Euro 2024 quarter-final opponents Switzerland knocked out holders Italy last time out. If the Three Lions advance to the semis they will face the Netherlands or Turkey.
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