Harry Kane: England captain sends warning over culture after withdrawals – ‘It takes a long time to build’

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Harry Kane has warned that England's culture "takes a long time to build and not so long to lose" as he backed up his controversial comments over his international team-mates' withdrawals from the most recent Three Lions camp. Nine players pulled out of the squad ahead of the UEFA Nations League games against Greece - which England won 3-0 - and Ireland, who visit Wembley on Sunday.

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England captain Harry Kane has warned that England’s dressing room culture “takes a long time to build and maybe not so long to lose” as he followed up his comments on the recent squad withdrawals.

The striker had created headlines earlier in the week during an interview with ITV, criticising his international colleagues who had withdrawn from the most recent England camp for the UEFA Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

There were nine absentees in total, and the Bayern Munich forward made clear his opinion on the matter, insisting that club football should not be the be-all and end-all.

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Kane is expected to return to the starting XI against Ireland at Wembley on Sunday evening, after he was benched for the trip to Athens, where the Three Lions won 3-0.

It was reported that there were doubts over his full fitness, but he was brought on in the second half to see out a comfortable victory that leaves Lee Carsley’s side one win from a bounce-back promotion to Group A of the Nations League.

If England beat Ireland on Sunday, they will be promoted back to the top tier of the competition.

Kane was asked in the pre-match press conference whether he thought that the positive environment built by Gareth Southgate was slowly being lost as a result of such a vast number of withdrawals.

"Yeah I think so,” he said. “It takes a long time to build and maybe not so long to lose if you're not careful. But I think we are well aware of that.

"Lee has done a great job, and I'm sure Thomas [Tuchel] will come in and have his own ideas and ways that he wants to build his culture."

Thomas Tuchel has been announced as Southgate’s full-time successor, with Carsley’s interim remit expiring following the conclusion of the Nations League campaign this weekend.

Tuchel, the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea head coach, will formally start his duties as England boss on January 1.

Asked about his controversial ITV interview, Kane said: "I gave my opinion on the matter.

“I probably didn't expect it to get as much coverage as it did but it was my opinion. The November camp has always been a difficult camp, even when you look at other years, there have been players who have pulled out. It is a tough stage of the season.

"You are carrying injuries, you are in the heart of a lot of games. It is just my opinion that England is really important. After a major championship like the summer, sometimes these September, October, November camps get forgotten about a little bit, just in terms of how important they are, because if we win tomorrow now it sets us up really well for the year ahead to the World Cup.

"These are the camps as well where you deal with that culture and togetherness that leads you into a World Cup."

Kane was also asked whether he thought that Tuchel’s delayed arrival - with the German manager being announced as the new boss on October 16 - was also affecting the England camp culture.

"Lee has come in and done a fantastic job with firstly the way we wanted to play and having more control of games,” Kane said.

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"Also, some of the younger players who have come in and experienced playing for England in the first team have done really well as well. That will just naturally build.

"It isn't just these camps. From now until the World Cup, step by step, you build that culture and I think it is down to me and some of the older ones like Walks [Kyle Walker] and Picks [Jordan Pickford], who have been here for a while, to start showing that to some of the younger players coming through because I think it takes a long time to build that.

"We did a really good job of building that. It is something you don't want to lose as you start to get more younger players into the team."

Kane was also in support of a winter break being reintroduced in the Premier League, with the concept initially brought in during the 2019/20 season.

There will be a two-week break for “player welfare”, according to the Premier League, in mid-January, with a split matchday weekend on January 12 and January 20, with the FA Cup last 16 ties moved to midweek.

"It would be great for them to have the winter break [in England]," Kane added. "We had it for about two years in the Prem and I think it went down really well with the players.

"There has been a lot of talk about the schedules and it was my first experience of a longer winter break last year and I felt it really helped me just recover in a really tough period.

"That is probably a wider conversation about the schedule and how that can be helped. It is a shame they've taken that back again and they don't get that break."

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