Ian Wright admitted he was ‘very surprised’ to hear that Harry Kane’s comments appeared to criticize the nine players left out of the England squad.
England are in Athens to take on Greece in a must-win match for the Three Lions as they look to bounce back from the 2-1 defeat they suffered at home to the hosts on Thursday evening to top the group.
But the build-up to the match was dominated by discussion surrounding the numerous players withdrawing from Lee Carsley’s squad due to injuries and other reasons.
Kane was questioned about the situation ahead of the match and on Wednesday it emerged that he had suggested a number of his teammates had ‘benefited’ from a packed club schedule.
However, former England international Wright was seemingly unimpressed by the England captain’s comments.
‘I was very surprised. We’re talking about someone who’s been in the trenches with those guys,” he said on ITV’s pre-match coverage on Thursday evening.
Ian Wright was critical of Harry Kane’s comments ahead of England’s clash with Greece
Kane had suggested that those who had withdrawn from the squad had ‘taken advantage’ of the club’s busy schedule
Lee Carsley’s side have been plagued by injuries, with nine players returning to their clubs after being called up
“Every call-up for England is important and offers opportunities. We’re talking about a captain of a bunch of players, the team where Gareth had the group together, everything so strong.
‘From complete unity in the squad, to a few withdrawals, and then you hear a lack of commitment (from Kane).
‘Again, the FA have chosen not to have their manager here. The FA has set a precedent for it.
‘But for Harry to say that about the players he has been in the trenches with, two finals, the World Cup semi-finals, knowing the caliber of the players, to say he is disappointed, especially about the matches and the crazy amount of games they have to play, it was a bit of a shock to me.”
Wright added, “He knows these guys. I can’t understand it. I’m shocked to hear it. (The international break) It’s a time when it’s an opportunity to try and get fit.
‘No one takes liberties with Carsley or (Thomas) Tuchel. The fact is that they took the opportunity to get fit for those clubs.’
Kane was left out of the starting XI by Carsley as a tactical decision, with Ollie Watkins given the chance to take the lead in the crucial clash in Athens.
Roy Keane, also a member of ITV’s expert team, for his part admitted that he was more surprised that the striker was not in the squad.
Roy Keane questioned the timing of Kane’s comments and admitted he was surprised at the captain’s omission from the starting line-up.
But the Manchester United legend was also intrigued by the timing of the captain’s comments, especially given the emphasis on unity between the teams which had been such an important element of the Gareth Southgate era.
“The sound coming out of the England camp over the last few years has been that they are all together and proud to play for the country and they will turn up,” he said.
‘The timing was strange for Harry Kane to go there, but he is a senior player and he has the right to have an opinion. The big surprise for me is that he’s not playing.
He added: ‘My concern is posting such a comment… which players is he talking about?
‘They have played week in, week out for England and their club over the last few years and they are always available. Which guys is he talking about? He just made a general comment.’
Kane’s comments come against the backdrop of a season that will see more club matches than any other.
The change to the Champions League format will see teams play more preliminary matches in the competition phase, while there will also be an increase in the number of matches in the Club World Cup, which is scheduled for the summer.
Asked what aspect of former boss Gareth Southgate’s senior players will ensure Bayern Munich striker Kane is not lost, he said: ‘I think it is a pleasure to play for England. I think he brought that back.
Kane accused England’s dropouts of being abusive because players put club before country
England’s plans for their Nations League match in Greece were decimated due to a glut of withdrawals
‘Every camp people were excited to come, every camp people wanted to play for England and that’s the most important thing.
‘I think England comes first. It takes precedence over club and it is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer.
“Gareth was excited about that and he wasn’t, and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions when that started to go away with certain players.”
Asked whether he felt the culture may have softened this week in light of the plethora of withdrawals, Kane told ITV: ‘It’s a shame this week, of course.
“I think it’s a difficult period of the season and maybe a little bit of that has been taken advantage of.
‘I don’t like it that much if I’m completely honest. I think, as I just said, England is above everything, for any club situation.”