da dobrowin: Harry Kane received massive praise from Jamal Musiala as the Bayern Munich star took aim at the England striker's Euro 2024 critics.
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Kane under scrutiny after poor form at EuroMusiala jumps to his defenceGerman playmaker hailed striker as "one of the best"WHAT HAPPENED?
Kane has faced considerable backlash from fans and the media due to England's underwhelming performances in the tournament. Despite this, Musiala strongly believes that the criticism directed at Kane is unjustified.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT MUSIALA SAID
Kane scored the winner against Slovakia in the round-of-16 after Jude Bellingham's stoppage-time equaliser and Musiala, in an interview with heaped praise on him for having the typical striker instincts inside the box.
"The last goal he scored was a typical striker's goal. Not many players would have been in the position to score that goal. He's there for those moments," said Musiala. "He may not get many chances, but when he gets that one chance, he can decide the game for his team."
Musiala also underscored Kane's goal-scoring abilities, which were on full display during his time with Bayern Munich last season. "We have all seen what he has done for us at Bayern this season," he said.
"He is an important player, an incredible player, one of the best in the world. That's why we have him at FC Bayern – and that's why he is one of the most important players for England."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Former German international Dietmar Hamann has been particularly vocal about Kane's performances. In his column on Sky, Hamann suggested that England's manager, Gareth Southgate, should reconsider Kane's role in the team and proposed that an agile striker like Ollie Watkins might be a better fit for the current squad.
"Gareth Southgate (England coach; editor's note) has to think about what he does with Harry Kane. With Ollie Watkins you have an agile striker who goes into spaces that Kane doesn't go into or can't get into at all," Hamann wrote.
"Kane will be 31 in July and has three years left on his contract in Munich. Bayern is in transition and wants to get back to the top of the world, but when I look at the top of the world, Kane's performance has nothing to do with that. I also don't have the feeling that he will be any better at Bayern next year. Kane scored 36 Bundesliga goals last season, but when they needed him, he wasn't there."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR HARRY KANE?
Despite the criticism, Southgate trusts his striker and remains confident in his abilities to lead the team to victory. And as England prepare for their quarter-final clash against Switzerland on Saturday, Kane is expected to be a key player in the starting eleven.