Harry Kane expressed his displeasure with the quantity of England players who have left the team this week, implying that some have lost sight of the significance of playing for their nation. England's team for their matches against Greece on Thursday and the Republic of Ireland was reduced by nine players.
Around nine main players left the England team on Wednesday night, making three Lions interim manager Lee Carsley, who is leading his final camp before new manager Thomas Tuchel takes over, without a number of senior players. Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite was the most recent to leave the team.
Kane, who will captain England at the Olympic Stadium in Athens understanding that important players are missing for a game they need to win to have a chance of being promoted automatically in the Nations League, is annoyed by the situation. He was questioned about one thing senior players should make sure doesn't get lost under former boss Gareth Southgate.
The England skipper said, "Gareth Southgate brought the joy to play for England back. Every camp people were excited to come, every camp people wanted to play for England and that's the most important thing. I think England comes before anything. England comes before club, it is the most important thing as a professional footballer."
“England comes before anything” : Harry Kane
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker added, "Gareth was hot on that and he wasn't afraid to make decisions if that started to drift from certain players. It's a shame this week, obviously. 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. England comes before anything and any club situation."
Lee Carsley spoke to the media about this issue in the pre-match press conference as he said, "The focus all camp has been on the players that are here. It is important that we make the most of this situation. With the amount of players that have pulled out, it gives other players the opportunity to be here. We're looking forward to the game."