Harry Kane should not be blamed for England s embarrassing Euro 2016 showing, with Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino pointing the finger at former boss Roy Hodgson.
England endured a tournament to forget in France, sensationally eliminated by minnows Iceland in the round of 16.
Kane was heavily criticised following England s exit after he failed to score in four matches.
But Pochettino leapt to the defence of his star Tottenham striker ahead of the new Premier League season.
When you analyse England against Iceland there is no reason to lose but football is football and sometimes it s difficult to find the reason. For me, it s difficult to speak about England, Pochettino said.
I was very surprised about the criticism [of Kane] because there was no reason. No reason. You know always when you are disappointed with the result you try to find a reason why and the guilty.
For me, Harry Kane was in the same lineup as the other players – some good, some bad. It s not just his responsibility. In football you need to share responsibility.
For me it is the manager first, then the coaching staff and the players. The responsibility is not one player. It s because a lot of things happen.
Pochettino was also dismayed by Hodgson – since replaced by Sam Allardyce – and his decision to use Kane as England s set-piece taker at Euro 2016.
The Argentine said: I don t want to criticise but I think Harry is a top scorer and for me why take a free kick or corner if the skill of Harry is to score?
You need to stay in the box, not outside. But this is my idea. I respect all the ideas.
