Harry Kane says the England players want Gareth Southgate to stay and love having him as manager, after the 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France at the World Cup.
The Tottenham Hotspur forward similarly added that he would take the second penalty again and took full responsibility for his miss - which saw England squander a second chance to equalise - saying that it came “purely down to execution”.
Kane also added that Southgate hadn’t said anything about his future to the squad.
“We love having Gareth as a manager,” explained Kane. “We want him to stay for sure but that’s his decision. I am sure he will go away and think about that.
“We’ve got a great team, great young players, players coming into their prime and we’ve got a Euros not too far away. As much as this hurts, we have to move on and look forward to that.
“He hasn’t spoken about it. I haven’t spoken to him about it. Like I said, now we are hurting and rightly so. He will go away and think about that. That’s his decision. He will talk to his family and friends and make that decision. From the players’ point of view, we are really happy with the manager.”
As regards the missed second penalty, Kane seemed to get into a poker match with club teammate Hugo Lloris after scoring his first, and it raised questions over whether someone else should have stepped up.
“I’m someone who prepares to take one or two penalties in the same game,” he added. “So I can’t blame my preparation.
“I felt as confident in the second as in the first, but it was 100% the execution. It’s my fault. Obviously it hurts now and it will hurt for a while, but it’s part of being the captain and leader of the team. You have to take responsibility and I take it today.”
Kane otherwise said that this World Cup was “really positive” but that the team was understandably “gutted” with the manner of the exit.
“It is a really tough night to take. I am gutted, the team are gutted,” he said. “We had full belief that we could achieve something special at this World Cup but it came down to small details. I thought, on the night, we had the better chances and better spells in the game.
“I think it has been a really positive tournament. Of course, it has ended now in the quarter-finals and it felt like we could have done more. If you look at the performances and the way the team has been, it has been exciting to watch. I think we have a really bright future.
“We love having Gareth as a manager. We want him to stay for sure but that’s his decision. I am sure he will go away and think about that. We’ve got a great team, great young players, players coming into their prime and we’ve got a Euros not too far away. As much as this hurts, we have to move on and look forward to that.”
