Harry Kane frustrated by England withdrawals as Tuchel warns players they could lose their places

England manager Thomas Tuchel said captain Harry Kane is frustrated with some players who withdraw from camp over concerns about minor injuries. Tuchel said he supports Kane’s tough stance on absences in borderline cases.

Tuchel noted that Cole Palmer had previously been absent citing workload management, and was also left out of the current Nations League squad. The manager warned that an unjustified absence could open the door for other players and put the absent player’s place in the national team at risk.

Ahead of the match against Croatia, Tuchel said Kane is always available for the national team and that they had discussed early on the importance of players being proud to represent England. Kane is set to make his 126th international appearance against Croatia, which would make him, according to the source, England’s most-capped player.

Kane said he wants to reach 100 international goals as quickly as possible and does not want to put a ceiling on his ambition as long as he feels able to keep improving. He also noted that Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice had passed 60 international appearances despite their young ages, and said he was looking forward to the next European Championship on home soil in England.