Skipper Harry Kane Expresses His Frustration After Nine Players Withdrew From England’s Nations League Squad

Bayern Munich star and England captain Harry Kane has come out and blasted his England teammates who withdrew from the Nations League squad. Following Lee Carsley’s squad announcement, as many as nine players pulled out from the squad. The Three Lions are gearing up to face Greece on Thursday and Republic of Ireland on Monday night.

However, interim manager Lee Carsley, who is taking charge of his final training camp before Thomas Tuchel’s arrival, has been dealt a massive blow. England regulars like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Aaron Ramsdale, Levi Colwill, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden are all unavailable for November’s round of international fixtures. Additionally, Jarred Branthwaite also withdrew after he was named as one of the replacements. In place of those nine players, Carsley has called Tino Livramento, Jarell Quansah, Morgan Rogers, Jarrod Bowen and James Trafford to England’s training camp. 

This situation has frustrated England captain Harry Kane, who knows that he would lead a second-string squad onto the field in a match they must win to keep their hopes of an automatic promotion alive. When asked what impact Gareth Southgate had on the team that England’s senior players should uphold, Harry Kane pointed to a key change: "(Gareth) Southgate brought the joy to play for England back," he shared. "Every camp people were excited to come, every camp people wanted to play for England and that's the most important thing."  

Kane emphasized the importance of prioritizing the national team, saying, "I think England comes before anything. England comes before club, it is the most important thing as a professional footballer." He credited Southgate for reinforcing this mindset, adding, "Gareth was hot on that and he wasn't afraid to make decisions if that started to drift from certain players." Pressed on whether he sensed that commitment might have slipped recently, Kane admitted, "It's a shame this week, obviously. It's a tough period of the season, and maybe that's been taken advantage of a little bit." He didn’t hold back about his feelings, saying, "I don't really like it if I'm totally honest. England comes before anything and any club situation."  

Although Kane expressed his displeasure, interim manager Lee Carsley wasn’t that bothered by the withdrawal. During the press conference he stated that, “The focus all camp has been on the players that are here. It is important that we make the most of this situation. With the amount of players that have pulled out, it gives other players the opportunity to be here. We're looking forward to the game." Currently, the Three Lions occupy the second spot in League B Group two, having won three games and losing once. However, that solitary loss to Greece could have a detrimental impact on their efforts to gain automatic promotion. Now, England need to win their last two group stage games to be sure of automatic promotion to League A. 

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