England new boy Harry Kane has fully deserved his call up and with all the attributes a top striker needs will have no problem making the step up to international level, goalkeeper Joe Hart said on 25 March.
The 21-year-old Tottenham Hotspur striker has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season, bagging 29 goals in all competitions, including 19 in the Premier League, and his fine form has been rewarded with a first senior England call-up.
Kane celebrated being included in Roy Hodgsons squad for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley on 27 March, and the friendly against Italy in Turin four days later, with his first Premier League hat-trick as Spurs beat Leicester City 4-3 on 21 March.
Hes obviously done fantastic. Hes scoring goal after goal for his club, fully deserved his call up and it will be interesting to see him train and do what he does this week, Hart told a news conference.
Hes very clever as a footballer for such a young man, normally you go into that role and the runs and the positions that you take up sometimes a bit later in your career, but Harry seems to find himself in the spot being at the right place at the right time, added Everton defender Phil Jagielka.
Hes doing pretty well and hopefully hell get his chance over the next two games and probably, knowing how his form is, get a goal or so and keep his confidence really high.
Kane will compete alongside forwards Wayne Rooney and Arsenals Danny Welbeck for a place in Hodgsons starting line-up after Liverpools Daniel Sturridge withdrew from the squad with a hip injury.
Hart has been having a fine season after suffering a dip in form in 2014 that led to him being dropped by Manchester City. His performance in the Champions League defeat at Barcelona earlier in March was described as phenomenal by Lionel Messi.
Ive always been aware that for all the good stuff I could be the worst keeper in the world again in one games time. I dont get too wrapped up in good or bad stuff, Im just focused on my game and keep working hard, said Hart, feet firmly on the ground.
England have bounced back after a miserable World Cup, winning six games in a row including all four of their qualifying matches, a sequence Jagielka is hoping to continue.
He said: Weve got a lot of players whove come to the squad in pretty good form and were looking forward to going out at Wembley, a packed house and go and put the performance in. Hopefully play as well as we have done in the previous six games and have that set up another run.
