England captain Kane fit and ‘looking forward’ to Euros

Captain Harry Kane has recovered from a back injury and is “looking forward” to leading England into Euro 2024, says manager Gareth Southgate.

Kane, 30, was substituted in the second half of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final second-leg defeat at Real Madrid a fortnight ago, then missed the final two Bundesliga games of the season.

Three Lions skipper Harry Kane 

Outgoing Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel said Kane was suffering with a “complete blockage” and was struggling to move.

However, Southgate says his main striker is “pretty much clear now”.

“He is quite relaxed about it. I think a sensible decision was taken not to push for the last game there,” Southgate added.

“Back problems can just happen – travel, whatever else – but it is not something we are concerned about at this moment in time.

“Our understanding of it is that it is something that is pretty much clear now.”

Kane scored 44 goals in 45 appearances for Bayern after moving from Tottenham last summer.

But he still endured a frustrating end to his first campaign in Germany, with the club failing to lift a trophy for the first time since 2012.

“It won’t be nice for him and I am sure he will be aware of what people will say about that. But his love for this challenge and desire to make this work has never wavered and he is definitely looking forward to this tournament,” Southgate said.

“He will of course be disappointed that he hasn’t won the league but there has been a lot going on at the football club which has been obvious from the outside.

“It has been a slightly different role there I would say, as he has been encouraged to stay higher and a little bit less involved in the build-up.

“But he has delivered what we thought he would deliver in terms of goals in that league and I know the club are super happy with what he has done.” – bbc.com