Gary Lineker brutally takes apart Harry Kane's 'lethargic' performance vs Denmark

Gary Lineker strongly criticized England captain Harry Kane for his lackluster performance in the Euro 2024 match against Denmark.

Kane scored the first goal for England in their second Group C game on Thursday night, but he was substituted after 70 minutes due to a challenging performance in Frankfurt.

The striker from Bayern Munich was criticized for constantly falling back too far as the English team had difficulties creating chances against the Danes. Although he wasn't the only player who didn't perform well that night, he received some of the harshest criticism.

Lineker, a former player who played in a similar role to Kane for England, shared his honest thoughts on the striker's performance after the game. He feels that England manager Gareth Southgate should have a serious talk about it.

‘Honestly, Harry Kane really needs to step up his game,’ Lineker commented during the BBC One broadcast of the match.

I believe he didn't move much on the field. He wasn't trying to make runs behind the defense, and when he did try to come closer to the ball, he did so slowly and lazily. This lack of effort is not going to be beneficial.

As a striker, there are two main responsibilities. One is to score goals, which he excels at. However, I believe that his manager should communicate the need for additional contributions from Harry.

I thought he would perform better given the circumstances. He is facing a tough defense, so he needs to work harder to break through. Instead of receiving the ball close to goal, he should push further up the field. By doing so, he can create more opportunities for himself.

He's not known for making runs in behind, but it achieves the same result. When someone is in midfield and you want to play the ball into space behind the defense, you should first pass the ball to the side and then make the pass behind. This is how you can stretch the opposing team.

Having a player who can cover a lot of ground helps make room for the midfielders to play. Unfortunately, in this game, there weren't enough midfielders moving forward when our player did that. It's important for the whole team to work together.

Lineker added: "I believe he becomes irritated and that causes him to gradually fall behind."

"He aims to contribute to the defense, but if he's already playing deep and the striker drops back too, it just makes things worse. Without a target up front to pass to, he needs to stay in an advanced position."

England had an opportunity to secure a spot in the next round of Euro 2024 as the top team in their group, but they weren't able to do so tonight. However, they still have a chance to advance with a victory against Slovenia next Tuesday.

Further information: Gareth Southgate explains why he substituted Harry Kane and Trent Alexander-Arnold during the match against Denmark

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand believes that the positions of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden in the England national team should be altered. Ferdinand expressed his opinion on the matter, suggesting that a change in their roles on the team could benefit their performance.

Title: Roy Keane criticizes England player 'exposed' in draw against Denmark Roy Keane has openly criticized an England player who was revealed as inadequate during their recent match against Denmark.