Harry Maguire says England captain Harry Kane is the best striker in the world.
Kane has scored 21 goals in his last 24 outings for England, and is his nation’s all-time leading goalscorer, with an outstanding 62 goals in 89 matches.
While the Bayern Munich star did not find the net against North Macedonia in Monday’s 1-1 draw in Skopje, his presence in the air just 40 seconds after coming off the bench did force England’s equaliser through an own goal, and he found the net in Friday’s 2-0 win over Malta.
“For me, he’s the best striker in the world”, said Manchester United centre-back Maguire. “When he’s not on the pitch, we miss him. He’s our captain, he’s our leader and he has been since I’ve been here. He’s an important player, of course, he’s our goalscorer.”
Across Europe, only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (48) has scored more goals for club and country in the calendar year of 2023 than Kane (47).
Maguire added: “Listen, I’ve always said about Harry that he’s one of the best strikers in the world and he’s proved it now for eight or ten years — however long he’s played at Spurs. He’s now gone to Bayern and is doing what he does: scoring goals. He’s a magnificent person, a big leader as well.
“I knew when he went to Germany, any club which signed him in the summer, he would score goals, that’s what he does: he scores goals.
“He does it day in and day out in training, he’s a nightmare to play against and can put the ball in the back of the net from any angle. His movement is very good, he’s a focal point in the team, and when he came on for us [in North Macedonia], he was a threat and on another night if the ball drops then we win the game.”
Maguire and Kane will lock horns when United host Bayern at Old Trafford on the final matchday of the Champions League group-stage, on December 12.
“He played really well when we played them at their place”, Maguire said, recalling Bayern 4-3 win over United in Bavaria. “If we’re going to beat them at Old Trafford, then keeping him quiet is an important job to do.”
