Glenn Hoddle backs Harry Kane to ‘drag England over the line’

Former England manager Glenn Hoddle believes the nation will see the best of Harry Kane as Euro 2020 continues, despite his limited influence in the tournament so far.

Raheem Sterling and skipper Kane sealed a historic 2-0 last-16 victory against Germany at a bouncing Wembley on Tuesday, setting up a quarter-final clash with Ukraine in Rome.

Kane has been criticised for his subdued performances in England’s three group games before his header with four minutes remaining.

“Harry Kane is off the mark and I think we’ll see the best of him – and not just because he’s scored, but because he’s grown in confidence,” Hoddle told Betfair.

“Kane might be the one that drags England over the line and helps us win this.

“When he ran to the corner flag after he scored you could see all the emotion. He might say he wasn’t stressed but that reaction to scoring is a release.

“Alan Shearer went through it before Euro 96, top strikers all go through it, and they’ll always say they’re not worried, but you could just see in his celebration that there’s something going on in the chemistry of his body in that release he had and the confidence he had after that in his all-round play, holding up well and being involved in moves more than before.

“Harry will do everything now with a smile on his face after the chains have been taken off his shoulder and this is fabulous news for England.”

The round of 16 clash was the Three Lions’ biggest on home soil since 1996 and an unforgettable evening for everyone watching, and Hoddle believes manager Gareth Southgate has been excellent.

“Gareth been great in his selection and picked the right team for the right scenarios,” the former England boss said.

“People will never agree on an England team, they’ll always include their favourites and if they’re a supporter of Villa you want (Jack) Grealish in and if you’re a supporter of Man City you want (Phil) Foden in, Chelsea and (Mason) Mount.

“The England manager has to pick what he feels right and he’s closer to the players than anybody else.

“There is nothing that Gareth has done wrong, everything is positive. We haven’t conceded a goal yet.