‘A huge development’ – Rooney on why England’s hopes rest on Kane’s shoulders

Wayne Rooney has praised the way Harry Kane has adapted his game over recent years and insisted that England’s World Cup hopes depend completely on the Tottenham man being in prolific form in front of goal in Qatar.

Kane won the Golden Boot in the last World Cup in Russia back in 2018 as England made it to the semi-finals and was once again the Three Lions’ top scorer in the European Championship in 2021, only for Gareth Southgate’s to come up short when they were beaten on penalties by Italy in the final.

England will be hoping to go one step further in Qatar and will once again be reliant on Kane to get them the goals.

The Tottenham man is just three goals short of breaking Rooney’s record tally of 53 goals and becoming the nation’s all-time leading goalscorer.

The former Manchester United man has now compared Kane to Francesco Totti for the way he drops deep and links up play. The DC United manager insisted that England are reliant on their number nine for not just goals but also to create chances.

Rooney wrote in The Times about the Spurs man: “The most important player. He’s the captain, he’s the goal scorer and he’s the one who is going to make the difference. If you look at the players I’ve put around him, you could get runs in behind from Bellingham, Foden and Saka or Sterling.

“That would allow him to continue playing the way he does at Tottenham Hotspur, almost like Francesco Totti did for Roma: he can drop deep and play passes but also be a threat in the penalty area.

“The creative side of Harry’s game has become as important as his scoring and you see some of the passes he’s playing, and assists he’s getting, for Tottenham — it’s a huge development. I did it myself, where you go from being a centre forward to being a No 10 or midfielder.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Kane has always gone into tournaments in the summer with nothing left in his tank after playing every game for Spurs across the season. That is why he has not often been at his best in major tournaments.

Things will be completely different this time, given that the World Cup is happening mid-season. I would certainly not bet against Kane winning the Golden Boot again and being the best player in the tournament.

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