Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s legendary manager, has lauded Tottenham striker Harry Kane ahead of the quarter-final match against France.
Kane has 4 goal contributions so far in the tournament, scoring 1 and providing 3 assists, and will be hoping to increase his tally to help England reach the semifinals.
In an interview with French outlet L’Equipe, Wenger discussed England’s performance and singled out Harry Kane for his performances. He compared the striker with Real Madrid and France icon Karim Benzema suggesting that he too like the Frenchman is a mix of a forward and number 10.
He said:
“Kane is a bit like Benzema, a kind of forward-number 10 mix. The speed at which he analyses, his perception of the game and of space is remarkable.
“I knew him [while managing Arsenal] as a forward who would generate space, who would get in the defender’s face!
“Nowadays, even if he plays more as a playmaker, Kane is still extremely dangerous because he gets his shots away quickly. And he gets them on target, they don’t go in the stands.”
There has been a lot of talk about Kylian Mbappe going into the quarter-final but Wenger made sure to remind the threat of Kane to France.
Kane has the ability to drop deep into space in order to create goal-scoring opportunities for other players but as pointed out by Wenger, he also has a great shot in him which he very rarely misses. France will have to be wary of England’s counterattacks with the likes of Saka, Foden, Kane, Rashford, Sterling in the team.
The Spurs talisman may not be getting the media attention that Mbappe is going into the game, but that will suit him because he will not be under any pressure to seize the opportunity when it comes his way.