Gary Lineker explains Harry Kane's England performance against Serbia after concerns

Gary Lineker has dismissed any concerns over Harry Kane's subdued display in England's victory against Serbia.

Despite a quiet first half for the England skipper, where he was largely invisible and managed only one attempt on goal, Lineker remains unfazed. Kane's effort was thwarted by a sharp save from Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic after connecting with Jarrod Bowen's delivery.

As Serbia grew into the game after the break, Kane was forced to drop back more frequently to help maintain possession, contrasting his earlier, less involved performance.

The Bayern Munich forward is typically seen seeking the ball and utilising his abilities from deeper positions, yet during the Euro 2024 opening match, he opted to remain further upfield.

Lineker, serving as the BBC Euro 2024 host, offered reassurance about Kane's approach at the interval, reports the Mirror.

"Harry Kane isn't necessarily sacrificing himself for the team in terms of the fact he can still get in the box and score goals," Lineker observed. "He won't be worried at all."

"He is playing his part, he's not dropping deep like we've seen from him in the past, he's keeping Serbia deep to make that space for the creative players behind him. He won't care about general touches, just those he can make to put the ball in the back of the net."

Post-match, Kane shared his thoughts on the encounter, indicating that the Three Lions were braced for a tough evening.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game, Serbia pose a lot of threats and have some good players," Kane acknowledged. "They will make it a battle for you and I think we dealt with it really well. There was a spell in the second half where we got camped in our box and we found it hard to get out but it was an important win tonight."

"It's a tough game. They are a tough team and have good players. We stood up to it well and it is good to get the three points and [for us] to progress. It's good that we got the win today."