Gary Neville's pre-match Harry Kane comments came back to bite the England international after drawing a blank against the United States of America. The Three Lions were poor in the final third, with Kane struggling to make an impact on the game.
There had been concerns that the striker would miss the game against the USA, having picked up a knock on his ankle against Iran. It would have meant Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson would have been in line to start the second game of Group B.
Wilson came off the bench to replace Kane in the opening game of the group against Iran, setting up Jack Grealish for England's sixth goal of the game. Both Neville and fellow pundit Ian Wright claim that England can't afford to not have Harry Kane in the starting line-up, despite drawing a blank against Iran in the opener.
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Neville told ITV before kick-off: "They can’t afford to not have Harry Kane if England want to do well in this tournament. There’s a cliffedge in terms of the quality next in line but the rest of the squad has got great strength.
"Harry is critical to us not just because of how he links play, Declan Rice is another one where there’s a big drop off, they’re crucial to the spine of the team."
Ian Wright said: "No, I’d be worried if he did have a problem because yes, Callum Wilson came in and done well the other day but he would be a massive miss, a massive drop off."
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