‘Absolutely gutted’ Harry Kane says it will ‘take some time’ to get over England’s World Cup defeat

England captain Harry Kane admitted this morning he was ‘absolutely gutted’ by his side’s exit from the World Cup – and said he took responsibility for the ‘small detail’ that ended their dream.

The star – who scored and missed a penalty in the match – said he would use the disappointment of crashing out to France to become stronger.

But he added he expected it would take ‘some time’ to get over the fact they would not competing further in the tournament.

Speaking on Instagram, Kane, 29, said: ‘Absolutely gutted. We’ve given it everything and it’s come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for. 

‘There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport.

‘Now it’s about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge. Thanks for all the support throughout the tournament – it means a lot.’

His teammate Harry Maguire echoed his thoughts on the social media platform.

He said: ‘Last night hurt. Absolutely gutted.

‘Special thanks to Gareth and you amazing fans who kept belief in me.

‘I love my country and I hope we made you proud.’

This morning, Gareth Southgate was seen travelling to meet FA staff in Doha.

England were utterly devastated at the final whistle yesterday and Kane was inconsolable, sinking to his knees and hiding his face in his hands.

There were similar scenes in the stands of the Al Bayt stadium as the wives, girlfriends and families of the despairing players looked on, wiping tears from their eyes.

The squad are expected to arrive back at Birmingham Airport at 6.30pm on Sunday evening.

England fans in Qatar and back in Britain were stunned, scarcely able to believe the result when just minutes earlier it looked as though their star striker was going to fire the Three Lions into extra time.

Southgate has said that he needs time to reflect after last nights loss as to whether he will continue being England’s manager or see his contract run out to after Euro 2024.

‘These tournaments take a lot out of you and I need time to reflect,’ he told the BBC.

‘We’ve done that after every tournament and that’s the right thing to do.’

This morning Gary Neville, former England full-back, said he would ‘love’ Gareth Southgate to remain as manager of the team.

‘I would love Gareth to stay on for another two years and beyond that, whether as the coach or in a role in the FA designing the future,’ Neville told ITV.

‘England, in the last 10 years, have won youth tournaments, won the women’s Euros last summer and reached the men’s Euros final. We’re playing well and have good technical players.

The sentiment was echoed by former England striker Alan Shearer who said he had ‘no doubts’ that Southgate should remain in post.

‘He has had success in a way. I know we haven’t won a trophy but you have to look at the bigger picture,’ he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

‘We have missed a great opportunity but that is through no fault of anyone’s. The decision Gareth made were very good’.

Last night the teams went into half time tied at 1-1, but Les Bleus managed to claw their way in front when their all-time top scorer Olivier Giroud scrambled in front of Harry Maguire and guided an excellent ball from Griezmann in at the near post.

France’s lead looked like it was going to be short lived when substitute Mason Mount was bundled to the floor in the box and was awarded a penalty.

But Kane, having scored an assured spot kick minutes earlier, saw his second effort soar miles over the crossbar, sending the Three Lions crashing out of the World Cup at the quarter final stage.

Gareth Southgate’s men were heartbroken, the players listing helplessly around the pitch in utter dejection while the French contingent erupted into wild celebrations.

Southgate made a beeline for his captain Kane, who looked as though he could scarcely believe the result.

England’s captain had sunk to his knees at the final whistle and his teammates requested TV cameras to turn their focus elsewhere.

Jude Bellingham meanwhile collapsed to the turf in tears and was also consoled by his manager and Jordan Henderson.

Southgate showed true sportsmanship in defeat by congratulating France captain Hugo Loris, while the remainder of his players fought through tears to salute and applaud their fans.

The England manager told the BBC that the manner in which his team went out of the World Cup after a battling performance was ‘cruel.’

He said he would sit down with the Football Association to discuss his future as Saturday night ‘is not the night to make decisions.’

He added: ‘I just said to the players… I don’t think they could have given any more. They have played really well against a top team. We win and lose as a team. We have let a couple of goals in and missed a few chances.’

On Kane, he said: ‘He has been incredible for us. He has been so reliable in that situation and we wouldn’t be here without the goals he has scored for us.

‘We came here to try and win the tournament and we had the belief that we could.’

England midfielder Jordan Henderson told reporters after the game: ‘It is hard now to sum it up, it is hard to find the right words.

‘I thought we gave everything in the game, we were disappointed to go 1-0 down but we showed the character and mentality to keep going and find the equaliser.

‘We gave it everything and unfortunately it wasn’t our night.’

He said of Kane’s penalty miss: ‘We know how many penalties Harry has scored for us, how many goals he has contributed to even get us here.

‘He will be stronger for this in the future. He is a world-class striker and our captain, he will bounce back.’