Page 20 South East Times. Issue 66
England manager Roy Hodgson could give Tottenham striker Harry Kane his debut
in their Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania at sold-out Wembley Stadium.
wait and see.”
Manchester United striker Rooney
has been equally captivated by Kane’s
performances for Tottenham this
season.
“First of all, the season Harry Kane
has had is incredible. The goals he has
scored and his performances mean he
has deserved his call-up,” added the
England skipper.
“He is a finisher, as we saw against
Leicester. It is great for English
football to have someone performing
like he is.”
Manchester United’s Michael Carrick
has been widely tipped to start in
midfield in place
of Arsenal’s Jack
Wilshere, who
Kane, 21, is in contention to partner season, would definitely start the
has been out since
England captain Wayne Rooney in
match.
attack.
“We are very happy with Harry Kane. November with an
ankle injury.
Hodgson has no other injury concerns He has done well all week and has
in his 23-man squad after several
not in any way damaged his chances England head
into the match
players withdrew earlier in the week. of playing in the full senior team,”
against Igoris
Lithuania will be without striker Lukas Hodgson said.
Pankratjevas’s side
Spalvis, who has a knee problem, but “I’m pretty sure over the course of
with four wins
midfielder Fedor Cernych is available these two games he will make his
after he recovered from a foot injury. full debut. He’s rightly getting lot of from four matches
in Group E and a
Hodgson would not be drawn on
plaudits.
six-point cushion
whether Kane, who has scored 29
“But I’m not prepared to give my
over Slovenia,
times in 43 games for Spurs this
selection away - people will have to
who sit second.
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Lithuania, currently ranked 94th
in the world, won their first two
qualifying games, against San Marino
and Estonia, but have since lost 2-0
at home to Slovenia and 4-0 away to
Switzerland.
Hodgson added: “We have been
through Lithuania’s style of play and
we think we know enough about them.
“People know more about Premier
League players, but I hope we
know enough. I hope the players are
prepared to do what we want to do and
cause them problems.”
Diafra Sakho: West Ham striker says FA proposals are ‘an excuse’
English football’s failings should not
be blamed on the number of foreign
players in the Premier League, says
West Ham’s Diafra Sakho.
Football Association chairman Greg
Dyke has outlined plans to restrict
non-EU players coming into the
English game.
And England defender Phil Jagielka
has backed the quality of English
players coming through the system.
But Senegal striker Sakho said
“Everyone can make their own
excuses to defend their own interests.”
The former Ligue 1 player added:
“France won the World Cup in 1998
and the French league was full of
foreigners, same with Spain who
won the World Cup and Euros, and
Germany too.
“I don’t see why we should shut the
door on new talent coming over.”
Sakho, 25, joined West Ham from
Metz on a four-year deal in the
summer and has become an integral
part of Sam Allardyce’s side, scoring
12 goals in all competitions.
He has followed a rich tradition of
African players succeeding in the
Premier League, with the likes of
Ivorians Didier Drogba and Yaya
Toure both winning several trophies
with Chelsea and Manchester City.
“We have seen many African players
do well here so it would make things
difficult for them,” Sakho said.
“The Premier League is one of the
best leagues in the world, one which
all young players dream of playing
in.”
Defender Winston Reid moved
to Upton Park from Danish side
Midtjylland in 2010 and won West
Ham’s player of the year award in
2012-13.
The New Zealander suggests the
pressure for clubs to succeed force
them to look for players away from
these shores.
“The Premier League now is a
massive business for football clubs,”
he said at an event for Lycamobile
and the West Ham Foundation.
“They might not be playing young
players but buying better players from
abroad.
“It would be unfortunate if some of
my peers weren’t given the chance to
do the same as me. There are a lot of
good foreign players here.”
In Europe this season, no Premier
League side progressed into the
quarter-finals of the Champions
League or Europa League.