Kane Calls Out Player-Turned Pundits Over Incessant England Criticism

Despite leading their group, England have failed to impress in Germany, as they followed a 1-0 win over Serbia with a 1-1 draw against Denmark.

Some former England players including Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney have not held back in their criticism of Gareth Southgate's side.

When asked about the critics on television, Kane said they should remember how "tough" it is to perform in a major tournament.

"I'd never want to be disrespectful to any player, especially a player who's worn the shirt and knows what it's like to play for England," Kane added at Sunday's press conference before Tuesday's clash with Slovenia. 

"I think what maybe ex-players or ex-players who are pundits now have got to realise is that it's very hard not to listen to it now, especially for some players who are not used to it or some players who are new to the environment. 

"I always feel like they have a responsibility, I know they've got to be honest and give their opinion but also their responsibility of being an ex-player, an ex-England player that a lot of players looked up to.

"People do care about what they say and people do listen to them. So like I touched on, everyone's got their opinion but the bottom line is we haven't won anything as a nation for a long, long time.

"A lot of these players were part of that as well and they know how tough it is. It's not digging anyone out but it's just the reality that they do know that it's tough to play in these major tournaments and tough to play for England.

"All I'd say is just remember what it was like to wear the shirt and that their words are listened to, you do hear it. We all want to win a major tournament.

"I'm sure they want us to win a major tournament, and being as helpful as they can and building the lads up with confidence would be a much better way of going about it."