Frustrated captain Harry Kane has suggested some England players have forgotten the importance of representing their country following a spate of withdrawals.
The Euro 2024 runners-up round off a mixed year by heading to Greece for Thursday’s must-win Nations League match before a Wembley encounter against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.
But interim boss Lee Carsley’s final camp has been hit by an eye-watering eight withdrawals, leading to suggestions that new head coach Thomas Tuchel’s delayed arrival has been taken advantage of.
The situation has irked Kane, who leads the side out at the Olympic Stadium in Athens knowing key players are absent for a match they must win to stand a chance of automatic promotion.
Thomas Tuchel does not start his new job until January (John Walton/PA)
Asked if there was one thing former manager Gareth Southgate put in place that senior players need to ensure is not lost, the striker told ITV: “I think the joy to play for England. I think he brought that back.
“I think every camp people were excited to come, every camp people wanted to play for England and, yeah, that’s the most important thing.
“I think England comes before anything. England comes before club.
“England is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer and Gareth was hot on that and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions if, you know, that started to drift from certain players.”
Quizzed on whether he felt that might have drifted this week, Kane said: “It’s a shame this week obviously.
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“Yeah, look, I think it’s a tough period of the season and maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit.
“I don’t really like it if I’m totally honest. I think, like I just said there, England comes before anything, any club situation.”
Eight players withdrew from Carsley’s initial 26-man squad for this Nations League double-header. Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer pulled out of the initial selection on Monday, as did Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill and Aaron Ramsdale.
Jarrad Branthwaite was among five players brought into the squad but the Everton centre-back is a major doubt having been unable to train with the group so far.
Carsley will provide an update on the defender and his squad as a whole at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference in the Greek capital, where he will be joined by forward Anthony Gordon.