Harry Kane has dismissed criticism of his form and has his sights set on Euro 2024 glory and another Golden Boot.
Kane will lead the England line against Holland in Dortmund, having scored twice in the tournament, putting him just one behind Cody Gakpo, the only player left in the tournament with three goals to his name. “If you had spoken to me before the tournament and (said) I’d have a couple of goals and be in a semi-final, I’d have bitten your hand off,” said Kane, who was substituted before the penalty shootout against the Swiss in the quarter-final.
“So, there is a lot of perspective. Hopefully, I score a couple of goals (against Holland) and you are looking at it in a totally different way. You are top goalscorer and you are through to a final and it’s a totally different perspective.
“I can only do my talking on the pitch and hopefully I can do that [against Netherlands].” And Kane believes that, even if he does not get on the scoresheet, he is still playing a vital role as England aim to reach their first final in a tournament staged away from home soil.
The England captain, who won the Golden Boot at World Cup 2018, went on: “If you look over the last couple of major tournaments, there's always been, at some stage, question marks over my fitness or my form but I felt like I had a good preparation going into it and I feel like I'm getting better and sharper as the games go along.
“I’ll always be judged on goals but my role isn't just scoring goals. My role is a lot of work defensively, a lot of work without the ball, a lot of work in leadership.”
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