Chris Sutton has urged Tottenham Hotspur talisman Karry Kane to ‘snap out of his malaise’ if he wants to remain England’s undisputed first-choice, writing in a post for the Daily Mail.
The former Chelsea striker has hit out at Kane after the forward defended his poor start to the season. Kane suggested after the Three Lions drew with Hungary on Tuesday that his record in front of goal has actually been better than some critics would make it appear.
“Obviously, I know there’s been a lot of talk about me,” he said, via the Evening Standard. “At the end of the day, I’ve still scored nine goals this season.”
But Sutton has taken issue with Kane’s defence, as none of his six Tottenham goals have come in the top-flight. Instead, the 28-year-old fired home three in two Europa Conference League games and two in one qualifier. He also scored against Wolves in the Carabao Cup.
Kane also scored three times for England during the September international break, netting once each against Hungary, Andorra and Poland. But failed to carry that form back into the Premier League, where Nuno Espirito Santo has fielded him six times.
Sutton hits out at Tottenham star Kane
So, Kane defending his record irked Sutton, who believes the Tottenham star must score in the league to appease critics. And the longer the £200k-a-week attacker’s top-flight plight continues, the more chances he gives to someone taking his England spot.
“Break that down and the fact you are on the verge of double digits loses its impact,” he wrote. “The Premier League is where you get critics off your back. That is where the best players are judged. Kane needs to snap out of his malaise if he is to stay as his country’s undisputed first-choice under Southgate.
“Right now, the back-ups are not knocking down the door. Tammy Abraham is at Roma, scoring intermittently. Ollie Watkins is on a single goal this season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is still returning from injury. Marcus Rashford is closing in on his first appearance of the campaign.
“But say Kane continues to struggle throughout this campaign and one of his competitors goes on a silly scoring spree, what then? You cannot live off your reputation forever. This is football. It is about results. Kane needs to rediscover his scoring touch if he wants to stay untouchable.”
Should Southgate drop Kane if Tottenham struggle persist?
Gareth Southgate has rarely benched Kane when the Tottenham striker is fit throughout his tenure as England manager. The forward has only sat out three of the Three Lions’ last 47 available competitive games outside of injuries. A run dating back to June 2017.
Those games also came against Belgium in the 2018 World Cup group stage after England secured a Last 16 place. Southgate did not rest Kane again in an available competitive match until this March’s World Cup qualifier against San Marino. While letting him watch from the bench as the Three Lions beat Andorra 5-0 in last Saturday’s World Cup qualifier.
But if Kane cannot turn a corner with his form and – like Sutton says – someone goes on a run, Southgate may have to decide if the Tottenham star should start for England still.
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