England captain Harry Kane has offered his support for manager Gareth Southgate after the criticism levelled at the coach following the Three Lion’s chastening loss to Hungary on Tuesday night.
England were beaten 4-0 at home by Hungary in their UEFA Nations League group stage game, leaving them rooted at the bottom of the table and without a win in four Nation League games.
Following the result, England supporters whistled and booed the manager while some were calling for his sack. But Kane, who captained the side on the night has come out in defence of his manager, calling for supporters to remember where they were before Southgate took charge.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live as reported by Sportsmail, Kane said: “It’s a really disappointing question to be asked. Let’s not forget where we have come from.
“Gareth has been a key part of transforming this England team to one of the most successful sides we have had in the past 50 years.
“I know it’s disappointing for the fans. It has been a disappointing camp, every now and then football throws up a surprise, we have to look at the big picture.
“It’s the first low point I’ve had in five years, a really disappointing night. We expect to win these games, but it wasn’t our night. We need to stay calm and learn from it.
“We’ve had two fantastic tournaments in a row. It’s not the time to panic. It’s a loss we’re disappointed with but we need to stay calm and we know we have stuff to work on.”
The Tottenham star reiterated his support of Southgate and urged fans to remember how far the side had come in recent years but conceded it was a ‘disappointing night’.
When asked about the boos aimed at Southgate, Kane said; “It’s not even a question I should be answering.”
He added: “A disappointing night. First half we created enough chances to score but it has been the story of our Nations League, we have not quite had the cutting edge.
“Second half was not acceptable after going 2-0 down. It is not the time to panic, we have to the heads up and come back stronger in September.
“It is our first big defeat in a long time, the defence has been the structure of our success. A night to forget but we have to take it on the chin and move forward, we have to prepare for a big World Cup and will learn a lot from this camp.
“Let’s not forget where we have come from, our first final in 60 years, a semi-final in the World Cup, compared to where we have been in the last 50 years. I understand the fans’ frustration, we will keep working to try and have a successful World Cup.”
