England legend Teddy Sheringham has called on Gareth Southgate to show the same faith in Harry Kane at Euro 2024 that Terry Venables put in Alan Shearer.
Kane’s sluggish performances at the tournament have attracted criticism, including from former Three Lions marksmen Shearer and Gary Lineker.
But Sheringham has urged Southgate to ignore calls to drop the England captain and stick with him for Saturday’s quarter-final with Switzerland.
“He’s not had the best of tournaments, but it’s tight. He’s been marked very, very roughly. And we haven’t really played to his strengths. But when a chance falls to your centre-forward I think he’s the one that you want there,” Sheringham told City A.M.
“Terry Venables stood by Alan Shearer. He knew he was the best centre-forward around in his era, and he told him before the start of the tournament that he would be his No9.
“If things change throughout the tournament obviously you can’t say he’s going to play every minute but, for me, Kane is the best around. He has been for the last six, seven years.”
Southgate and last-16 hero Jude Bellingham have both projected a sense of embattlement in the England camp, but Southgate believes they can turn it to their favour.
“When you’re in that mode you use it as a tool – that English bulldog spirit that they’re all sticking together,” said the former Tottenham striker, an ambassador for Poker Sites.
“I thought they showed great qualities in the last game. It was tough, we had to dig deep at times. And that’s the beauty of English football. It was fantastic.”
England appear to have struggled with their billing as Euro 2024 favourites and Sheringham believes they are victims of their own success at the last three major tournaments.
“There always is pressure when you play for England. When Gareth first took over, I think the media were all very easy on him to get England back on track,” he said.
“But now they’ve done well, the expectation levels are there. Once you expect things, you can only get disappointed unless you go out there and win it.
“We’ve still got a chance of winning it. I think we’ll go close, but I don’t know. I hope we go all the way. But we’re in there. The expectancy levels are huge when you do well.”