'Let me tell you' - Gary Lineker criticises Harry Kane's England performance after Denmark draw

Gary Lineker has criticised England captain Harry Kane for his performance in England's disappointing 1-1 draw with Denmark at Euro 2024.

The former Tottenham Hotspur forward scored his first goal of the tournament in the match, giving Gareth Southgate's team an early lead. However, England had to settle for a 1-1 draw after having little control over the game.

This lack of dominance has left England fans and pundits feeling frustrated for the second time in just a few days, with the captain's latest performance being thoroughly analysed by Lineker. "In all honesty? I think Harry Kane needs to do a lot better," he said during BBC Match of the Day's live coverage.

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"I think his movement was minimal, he didn't look to go behind, and he doesn't often, but even when he comes short, he's just drifting short, very kind of lethargically, he's plodding short, and that's not going to help. When you're a striker, your two jobs are: obviously score goals, which he's brilliant at. He has been all his career and he's wonderful at that sort of thing, but I think he needs his manager to say: 'Right, I need a little bit more from you Harry.' I would have expected that if I'd have had that kind of performance.

"As a striker, let me tell you, he's up against three at the back [vs Denmark], so he has got to stretch that team, even when he comes short, you've got to go that way first to keep them up there, and then you come short. So when you get the ball coming short, you don't have to go 20 yards to get it short, like he ambles in, ambles in, and they just let him go so he doesn't get it. So he's not creating the space for himself for a start. Vice versa, he's never really been a player that spins that much behind but it's the same thing.

"If someone's in midfield and got the ball and you want it behind, you go that way first and then you go behind and then you stretch the team. If you've got someone going behind, you can stretch the team and that creates more space for the midfield players behind you. But in his defence, even when that happened on occasions, there wasn't enough of the midfield pushing up from behind so it's a whole team thing."

Kane's latest assessment comes after he managed just two touches in the entire first half against Serbia, leading former Three Lions defender Wes Brown to explain how the 30-year-old was looking for the ball in the wrong areas of the pitch.

Former England striker Alan Shearer has weighed in on the national team's performance, adding: "As I got older I needed pace in and around me. I could still score goals, head the ball, get into positions in the box, but one thing I could not do is run in behind. Harry Kane is the same now, he needs players that have the legs to run beyond and make the space."

England remain at the top of Group C following a day that saw both Slovenia and Serbia claim a point each from their encounter. Yet, England's inability to clinch early qualification for the round-of-16 means Southgate's squad faces a pivotal clash with Slovenia next Tuesday to ensure they finish top of the group.