Rangers legend Ally McCoist has urged Gareth Southgate to drop captain Harry Kane from England lineup at Euro 2024.
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Ex-Rangers star wants to see Kane droppedScored against DenmarkBayern star yet to regain full fitnessWHAT HAPPENED?
Kane headed into Euro 2024 on the back of a brilliant maiden season with Bayern Munich as he broke multiple scoring records in Germany. However, since England's first match at Euro 2024, the striker has failed to live up to the hype. He did score a goal in the team's 1-1 draw against Denmark in the second group game but his overall performance has been underwhelming.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
After the clash against the Danes, Southgate raised questions over the skipper's fitness while explaining why he benched him for Ollie Watkins in the second half of the game. Now former Scotland international McCoist has claimed that the Three Lions boss should take the tough call and drop the Bayern striker from the starting lineup while drawing comparison with Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
WHAT ALLY MCCOIST SAID
Speaking to , the 61-year-old said, "Stuart Pearce is 100% right when it comes to being bold enough to drop Harry Kane, I include everybody. I don't just include Harry Kane in that. It doesn't matter who you are. It’s similar to Cristiano Ronaldo, the fact of the matter is, if it benefits the team, you think there's a substitution required, whether it's Harry Kane or Ronaldo, it doesn't matter who it is. That's when the manager earns his corn. You've got to make a decision.
"Sometimes your decisions have to be brave and they might go against the grain. But if you think it's for the benefit and it's beneficial to the team moving forward, then it's a decision, it's a no-brainer. You have to make that decision. Pearce is spot on. It doesn't matter if it's Harry Kane, if he's not playing well then it might be a better option with Ollie Watkins using his pace running through. I don't know. But if there is a better option available, then he has to make that decision."
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?
It is unlikely that the England boss would consider dropping his star forward in their final group game against Slovenia on Tuesday night. They have to win the clash to ensure they qualify for the knockout stage as group toppers.