England must come before club: Kane

England skipper Harry Kane during a training session at St George’s Park in Burton-upon-Trent, England, on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

Harry Kane has said that he is disappointed by the high number of withdrawals from the England squad this week, insisting the national team must come first. The Euro 2024 runners-up head to Greece for Thursday's must-win UEFA Nations League match before a Wembley meeting with Ireland on Sunday. But interim boss Lee Carsley's final camp, before the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as the new manager, has been hit by an eye-watering eight pull-outs.

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The situation has frustrated Kane, who will lead the side out at the Olympic Stadium in Athens knowing that key players are absent for a match they must win to stand a chance of automatic promotion. Asked if there was one thing former manager Gareth Southgate put in place that senior players need to ensure is not lost, the striker told ITV: "I think the joy to play for England. He brought that back. At every camp people were excited to come, at every camp people wanted to play for England and that's the most important thing. England comes before anything. England comes before club."

The Bayern Munich forward said it was a "shame" that so many players had withdrawn. "It's a tough period of the season and maybe that's being taken advantage of a little bit. I don't really like it, if I'm totally honest. I think England comes before any club situation," he added. Eight players withdrew from Carsley's initial 26-man squad for the Nations League double-header, including Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer. Jarrad Branthwaite was among five players brought into the squad but the Everton centre-back did not travel to Greece, with Liverpool's Jarell Quansah called up in his place.

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