Harry Kane has no plans to retire from international football, even suffering another final failure with England and failing at Euro 2024.
Kane ended the tournament as England’s joint-top goalscorer with three, but he was substituted in five of the team’s seven games, including the final against Spain.
After the 2-1 defeat in Berlin, Gareth Southgate revealed that his captain and the country’s record striker ‘didn’t quite get up to the level we had all anticipated’ due to an injury sustained near the conclusion of last season.
Kane’s quiet performances, along with the emergence of Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney, who played little but important parts in the knockout rounds, have raised questions about the Bayern Munich striker’s future role in the club.
In two years, England will attempt to win a significant men’s football trophy at the World Cup, but it is unclear if Kane will still start in center field. Gary Lineker is among many who doubt Kane’s ability to play for the national team.
However, sources close to Kane have rejected the idea that he could be planning to retire from international football, according to the Daily Telegraph, and instead think he plans to play for England at the 2026 World Cup and beyond.
Prior to the Euros, Kane—who has 66 goals in 98 games for England—enjoyed his most successful goal-scoring season, netting 44 goals in his debut season with Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich following his departure from Tottenham last summer.
Ex-striker Lineker insists Kane was ‘not himself’ at Euro 2024, however, and says he ‘wonders’ what the future holds for the 30-year-old in an England shirt.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker said: ‘Part of [looking to] the future in my mind was what England do, what does Harry Kane do? He was not himself in this tournament.
‘He’s in his 30s now. When I was 30, 31, my legs started to go. I retired from international football at 32. At 31 that was happening [legs going] and it’s horrible, it’s horrible.
‘Maybe he was just tired or carrying a little something that affected him and that [his legs going] might not be the case.
‘But I wonder. What is he, coming up to 31 now? That’s exactly the time when I started to feel that way.’
Kane hinted his thoughts were already turning to the 2026 World Cup in a social media post on Monday.
‘Heartbroken we couldn’t achieve what we worked so hard to,’ he said shortly before the Three Lions arrived back in England and went their separate ways.
‘It was a long tough tournament and I’m so proud of the boys and staff for getting to the final.
‘Ultimately we fell short of our target and will have to live with that but as we always do we will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and be ready to fight again in an England shirt.
‘Thank you to all the fans that believed in us and supported us to the very end.’
While Kane is expected to prolong his international career, Southgate may need more time to decide whether or not to step down following more final heartbreak.
The 53-year-old’s current contract expires in December but the FA are keen for Southgate to extend and take the team to the United States, Canada and Mexico for the next World Cup.
Asked about Southgate’s future, Kane added: ‘We made it clear we love the manager, but that’s his decision [whether he wants to stay on].
‘Now’s not the time to talk about it. It’s down to him, he’ll go away and think about it. But we’re all just hurting.’