Harry Kane said that he was hungry to prove people wrong after marking his 100th cap by scoring an emphatic double in England’s 2-0 win against Finland in the Nations League.
The captain, who was presented with a golden cap by Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard before kick-off at Wembley, was in a sharp mood on and off the pitch on Tuesday night.
Kane, who has moved up to 68 goals at international level, is aware of the criticism of his performances at Euro 2024 and he fired a shot at his critics after his second-half destruction of Finland helped Lee Carsley to maintain his winning start as England’s interim head coach.
“It was a big night for me,” Kane said. “I want to score goals and help the team. Whenever you are doubted, it makes you more hungry to prove people wrong. I always back myself to score goals and I am excited for the future.
“The manager has come in with a great energy, talks a lot about freedom and attacking and hurting the teams. Of course there is room for improvement, but a great start for him.”
Kane, who shrugged off being substituted before he could complete a hat-trick, explained that he has been fuelled by criticism throughout his career. “It helps in general,” the striker said. “I’ve always spoken about when things are not going your way using it to motivate you.”
Carsley praised Kane, who hopes to reach 100 goals for England. “Harry took his goals really well,” the manager said. “He fully deserves all the plaudits. What I have noticed this week is he is highly motivated to play for England and score goals. To have a centre-forward like that, hopefully it continues.”
The victory maintained England’s dominant start in Nations League Group B2, boosting Carsley’s hopes of securing the job on a permanent basis. “I definitely don’t feel comfortable still,” the 50-year-oldsaid.
“I have been out of my comfort zone. It’s been enjoyable but we have had to make sure every single day we are producing high standards. We’ve been fortunate to get two good results and it’s about building on that now.”
Angel Gomes, the Lille midfielder, caught the eye on his first start. “Angel just performed the way we have seen him perform for England over the last two years that I have worked with him,” Carsley said.
“The benefit of it now is everyone has seen it, he is more than capable of controlling games. “We have seen a player capable of controlling a game. He is a very good asset for us.”
Carsley said he does not plan to contact the Arsenal defender Ben White about returning to the squad before the camp next month.
