Kane backed to 'break all England's records' as Neville warns Maguire 'it's now or never' at Euro 2020

BetOdds Harry Kane England Czech Republic v England Tottenham Hotspur European Championship

The former Three Lions defender expects a star striker to retain his place, but admits a Manchester United defender is treading a tightrope

Gary Neville is backing Harry Kane to "break all England's records", as questions are asked of the Tottenham striker's ongoing presence in a number nine berth, but Harry Maguire has been warned that he has reached "now or never" time at Euro 2020.

Gareth Southgate finds himself facing selection headaches two games into a bid for European Championship glory, with a talented Three Lions squad failing to sparkle through a 1-0 win over Croatia and goalless draw with Scotland.

Kane has become a divisive presence for some, as he continues to drop deep and offer little end product, but his manager has vowed to stick with him and Neville believes the Spurs star - who remains captain of his country - will chase down Wayne Rooney's all-time goalscoring mark of 53 .

Former England defender Neville told Sky Sports of Kane, who has recorded 34 efforts for his country: "I said last week I felt he was undroppable and I still maintain that.

"I think that if Harry Kane had someone behind him who was even close to him that could go into the team, then you'd say maybe you could look at a change. But you wouldn't change Kane quickly, or easily for that matter.

"I think he'll break all England's records. You don't just drop your captain and your main goalscorer after two matches. But I think the energy, urgency and intensity in England's performance has got to improve for Kane to do well in this tournament.

"In the first game, we felt that was a controlled performance and everyone was really happy with that. But against Scotland, it was a massive drop off. I don't care who you are - as a centre-forward, you would have struggled in that game."

While one Harry appears set to retain his spot, another is still waiting on his first minutes of the summer.

Manchester United captain Maguire has been out of action since suffering an ankle injury on May 9, with the 28-year-old centre-half - who has declared himself fit for action - facing a race against time to prove his worth to Southgate.

Ex-United full-back Neville said of a defender currently sat behind John Stones and Tyrone Mings in the pecking order: "Now's the time for some continuity - we need to start settling on a team. That might mean that Harry Maguire comes back in.

"If he doesn't play against the Czech Republic, I don't know how he can come in against a France or a Portugal in round two. It's now or never for Maguire."

England will play host to the Czechs at Wembley on Tuesday with victory required in order to top Group D and set up a last-16 showdown with the runners-up from the so-called 'Group of Death' that includes world champions France, Euro title holders Portugal and old adversaries Germany.

2021-06-21 18:00:04

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