England captain Harry Kane has admitted his side lacked leadership at Euro 2024 and is pleased to see Jordan Henderson back in the Three Lions fold
Harry Kane welcomed his old mate Jordan Henderson back into the Three Lions squad and admitted England were “light on leadership” at Euro 2024. Gareth Southgate did not take Henderson to Germany last summer and although England reached the final, Kane clearly believes they missed the former Liverpool midfielder’s experience and input… both on and off the field.
Kane said: “I would say we were a little bit light on leadership in the summer. When things are not going so well, or there’s a lot of noise around the camp, that’s when you need players like me and someone like Jordan – you need your experienced players to take that responsibility on.
“When you talk about Hendo, he brings that experience as good as anyone I’ve played with. I’ve spoken in other tournaments about how valuable he is to the team, not just when he is on the pitch but off the pitch as well.
“Whenever you go to major tournaments, I don’t think it’s just about having the best players in the best moments. It’s about creating an environment where you allow other people to thrive, people knowing their roles within the squad.
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“When you go into these camps where you’re away for eight weeks, you need that environment where you have leaders in the team, and Thomas (Tuchel) has been clear on his idea of trying to build that environment. And it starts from this camp.”
Ahead of his first squad selection, Tuchel spoke to senior players about what they thought went well and what went not so well at the Euros. And that is why Kane was not shocked by the recall for 34-year-old Henderson, now with Ajax.
“I don’t think it is a surprise,” declared Kane. “Jordan is still playing at a high level. They are top of their league in Holland and what is he? 34? 35?
“When you hit your 30s you’re seen as old, but I think he’s got a lot to offer us off the pitch and on the pitch. Seeing him in training this week has shown that he’s still got a lot on the pitch.
“From my point of view, it’s great to have him. I feel like we complement each other very well – as captain and as another leader – in the way we lead. And I think that helps the team from an overall balance perspective.”
And it is clear Tuchel wants as many leaders as possible and is looking for even more camaraderie.
Kane said: “Thomas spoke about the interactions. It was some research they had done on interactions amongst the team, in terms of talking to each other and helping each other. It was the difference between the first half in the final and the second half in the final. There was a lot less in that second half.
“I think Thomas is trying to find little details because we are close to being European champions and world champions and he’s trying to find that little edge that pushes us over the line.”
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