Phil Foden has backed England captain Harry Kane to silence his doubters in Wednesday night's Euro 2024 semi-final, warning: "We need him to win this tournament!"
England were on Tuesday morning training here in Blankenhain for the final time before travelling to Dortmund ahead of their last-four meeting with the Netherlands.
Despite scoring twice in five matches, including an extra-time winner against Slovakia in the last 16, Kane's performances have been below par so far in the tournament, with the 30-year-old seemingly still feeling the effects of the back injury that curtailed his club season.
The Bayern Munich striker was substituted for Ivan Toney with Saturday's quarter-final against Switzerland heading towards a penalty shootout and there have even been calls for him to be dropped against the Dutch.
Foden, however, believes leaving out the country's all-time record goalscorer would be madness.
"You can't really doubt him," the Manchester City star told Standard Sport. "He's been unbelievable for us in so many tournaments and he's already scored a crucial goal in this tournament.
“Hopefully, he can prove a lot of people wrong and do what he does best: put the ball into the back of the net. We're all behind him, we all believe in him."
Gareth Southgate is set to ignore Kane's critics by trusting him to lead his country out in a major tournament semi-final for the third time, knowing he scored the winner the last time England were in this position, against Denmark three years ago.
The Netherlands are likely to be the most expansive side England have faced this summer, and Foden believes that should suit Kane, having seen City team-mate Erling Haaland similarly stifled at club level by opponents setting up to defend deep.
"The way teams have been playing, there's been a low block and the spaces are tight, so it's difficult for him to find space," Foden said.
"I've seen that with Erling at club level. Sometimes it's nearly impossible for him to score because they've got two players man-marking him. Kane's a leader, he does a lot of work off the ball that people don't see. He's a valuable player and if we're going to win it, we're definitely going to need him."
Foden's backing was echoed by left-back Luke Shaw, who yesterday declared himself fit to play 90 minutes if required, after making his comeback from five months out with a hamstring injury as a substitute against the Swiss.
"He's a world-class player and he's one of those players who, if you give him time in and around the box, he'll score," Shaw said of Kane. "He's our captain, he leads by example and we all follow him. It's really important for us that he's on the pitch.”
