Ian Wright admits he is ‘worried’ about Harry Kane’s ability to trouble Virgil van Dijk ahead of England’s Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands.
Kane once again struggled in England’s quarter-final victory over Switzerland, touching the ball just 27 times until he was subbed off before the penalty shootout.
The 30-year-old has scored two goals at this European Championship – England’s opener in the 1-1 draw with Denmark and the winner in the last-16 win over Slovakia – but has proved largely ineffective, with some pundits even questioning whether he is still carrying the injury that forced him out towards the end of last season.
Despite Kane’s struggles, it is almost inconceivable to imagine Gareth Southgate dropping not only his captain but a player who scored 44 goals in 45 games for new club Bayern Munich last season.
But Wright says Kane’s form is a ‘worry’ ahead of Wednesday’s huge Euros semi-final against the Netherlands and fears it could be a relatively comfortable night for Dutch captain and Liverpool superstar Van Dijk.
‘We’re going to need somebody to put Virgil van Dijk under pressure,’ he said on the Wrighty’s House podcast. ‘We need someone to make him a little uneasy.
‘This is why it worries me with Harry Kane and his form at the moment.
‘I think we’re going to need a focal point and someone in and around Virgil, to make him a little uneasy, backing in to him, leaning in to him, doing all the stuff that Virgil doesn’t like.
‘He’s that accomplished defender who likes time, he likes to nick the ball away. So I think you need someone around him who’s going to make him feel a little bit uneasy.’
Despite his concerns over Kane’s role against the Dutch, Wright remains ‘quite confident’ that England will win in Dortmund to reach Sunday’s Euro 2024 final.
The Netherlands beat Turkey and Romania in the knockout stages after finishing third in Group D behind Austria and fellow semi-finalists France.
‘My takeaway from the England game is that there’s enough there now to hang your hat on. You can hang your hat on something now,’ Wright added.
‘Players are more confident and fit, Luke Shaw coming back could be a massive confidence boost to the team.
‘You’ve got to go into that game feeling confident. I’m quite confident now that we’re capable of beating the Netherlands. I think we will, I think we beat them 2-1.’
In the other half of the draw, impressive Spain face underwhelming World Cup finalists France for a place in the final.
.
.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.