Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said Harry Kane was playing the Erling Haaland role against Serbia.
England opened up their Euro 2024 campaign on Sunday evening as they clashed with the Eastern Europeans at Schalke 04’s Veltins-Arena. Jude Bellingham was the man of the moment, powering home a header in the 12th minute during a brilliant performance from the Real Madrid star.
While Bellingham shined, Kane struggled to get into the game, particularly in the first half when he touched the ball just once with his feet. And that caused Carragher to post on X: “Kane playing the Haaland role.”
READ MORE: Jude Bellingham put Europe on notice — even as England failed to impress
READ MORE: Five things we learned as England beat Serbia in their first game at Euro 2024
Learn more
“Except Kane isn’t a League Two Player,” one fan joked when responding to the ex-Reds man. While a second shared: “Forget he’s playing sometimes!”
“A nice way to say he is ghosting,” a third said. Many fans responded questioning what Carragher meant, with Manchester City fans responding with photos of their star forward and the trophies he has won in his time at the Etihad. But another poster added: “There’s so many people not understanding this…”
What do you think of Jamie Carragher’s post on social media? Let us know in the comments section below
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Carragher was cheekily referring to Roy Keane’s brutal criticism of Haaland – and his lack of build-up play. Keane, at the end of March, said: “The levels of his general play are so poor. And not just today but in general. In terms of front of goal he’s best in the world, but his general play is so poor.
“He’s almost like a League Two player. That is the way I look at him. His general play has to improve.
“It will do, over the next few years. Being this brilliant striker is fantastic but he has to improve his all-round game.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Carragher added, speaking to the Daily Telegraph: “Harry Kane is adopting the same role as Erling Haaland role for Manchester City – not involved outside the box and waiting for a chance. He has only touched the ball twice in 45 minutes. That’s not Kane’s game.
“That header against the crossbar is the kind of moment Kane has to be patient and wait for if Southgate persists with this system
“After an encouraging start that turned into a satisfactory rather than excellent win for England. They ran out of steam as the game progressed. The positive was the first 30 minutes, but the system is a work in progress, especially where getting the most from Harry Kane is concerned.”