Liverpool central defender Virgil van Dijk has claimed that Harry Kane was not 100% fit during the Champions League final.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker returned to Mauricio Pochettino’s starting line up for the match in Madrid after nearly two months out with a significant ankle injury at the expense of semi-final hat trick hero Lucas Moura.
The 25-year-old publically stated in the build up to the match that he was fit and ready to go (BBC).
Kane looked below par during his 90 minute display at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium and only managed one shot, 11 passes, 26 touches during the match.
Van Dijk has a relatively comfortable night up against Kane and although he expected to come up against the forward on Saturday evening, he admitted that he did not look at his best.
The pair could come up against each other again this evening when England take on Holland in the UEFA Nations League tie in Portugal.
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Van Dijk told The Sun: “Kane is a fantastic striker, one of the best in England, and definitely the best striker England have got for the national team.
“But I know also that, if you’re not 100 per cent fit, it’ll be in your head if you get a bit of a knock or you make get a bit of pain when you pass it.
“I expected him to play the final, but not at 100%. I don’t know if he’ll play against us, but we’ll see.”
Opinion
Anyone who watched the final on Saturday will admit that Kane was far below his usual standard and did not look to play his usual game of pulling defenders deeper to make space for the likes of Heung-min Son to run in behind.
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