Tottenham striker Harry Kane will surely be named in Roy Hodgson’s England squad tomorrow for upcoming games against Lithuania and Italy.
The 21-year-old has done more than enough to earn his chance.
Here’s why we want to see Kane not only in the squad, but in the team.
1. Goals, goals, goals
He’s the top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League. Only Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero have scored more Premier League goals this term. That’s really quite impressive when you consider he didn’t nail down a regular starting place until November. Factor in strikes in other competitions and his tally of 16 rises to 26. There’s probably some stat about Lionel Messi to insert here, but we can’t find it.
2. Importance
Robrov: "I'm glad because I think Tottenham are improving. Harry Kane is a great forward, scoring some very important goals." #THFC
— Spurs Focus (@FocusSpurs) March 12, 2015
It’s not just the amount of goals Kane has scored that is impressive – it’s the importance of them too. He’s scored five equalisers and seven go-ahead goals, bagging his side a whopping 19 points in the process. That’s the same amount as Leicester have got.
3. Efficiency
His Premier League scoring rate of 19.7% – 15 goals from 76 shots – puts him ahead of the likes of Aguero (13.1%), Alexis Sanchez (15.7%), Rooney (17.5%) and rival Charlie Austin (11.7%). It’s not as good as Costa (25%) or – and this might surprise Piers Morgan – Olivier Giroud (22.4%), but we can’t see them getting an England call-up any time soon.
4. Temperament
Harry Kane is the only Premier League player with more league goals (11) in 2015 than Olivier Giroud (6). pic.twitter.com/5F3TMxLg4u
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 14, 2015
One of the most impressive things about Kane this season is the way he has taken his opportunity. He forced Mauricio Pochettino to pick him by scoring in Europa League games, and in his substitute appearances – then carried on scoring when he got his chance. He seems, like his hair, to be unrufflable.
5. Big-game player
Kane has been the driving force behind wins in two of Tottenham’s biggest games of the season. He’s scored a brace as Spurs beat Chelsea on New Year’s Day, then repeated the trick a month later in the north London derby against Arsenal. How much would England love to have a player who actually gets better when the going gets tough?
6. Message
For a while it’s been hard to see strikers forcing their way past Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck in the England pecking order. If that’s ever going to happen – and to show that players will be picked on merit – Hodgson must pick Kane now, even if he does ultimately drop back down to the under-21 side for the European Championship this summer.
7. Perfect opportunity
Harry Kane is the BPL Player of the Month for the 2nd consecutive month. RT if he should play for England! pic.twitter.com/PkQknnQp4t
— BPL Related (@BPLRelated) March 13, 2015
It’s hard to imagine a better pair of games in which to try Kane out than a game against a smaller side (Lithuania) that counts, and one against a bigger team (Italy) that doesn’t. Even the qualifier isn’t exactly what you’d call vital – England would have to balls it up royally to fail to qualify for Euro 2016 from here.
8. He just looks like and England international
Similar to Scott Parker and Jordan Henderson, he just looks like he was born to play for England, in a proper old-school way. That’s a reason. It’s not a great reason, but it’s a reason.
Source: SNAPPA
