'Like having Cristiano Ronaldo in the team' - Harry Kane told he's only keeping England spot 'because of his name' as Bayern Munich man is ripped apart for 'lazy' Euro 2024 displays

Former Premier League player and pundit Jamie O’Hara did not hold back in his criticism of the Bayern Munich forward after a lacklustre display against Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals. Despite having found the net twice in the competition, Kane has struggled to make an impact in attack and had to be taken off against the Swiss in the 109th minute despite the Three Lions looking for the winner.

O'Hara likened Kane to Ronaldo, who had a disastrous campaign with Portugal in Germany and was sent packing by France on Friday. The record goalscorer of the European Championship had to exit without a single strike to his name and subsequently, Roberto Martinez faced flak for sticking with him despite his unimpressive run. In a similar vein, O'Hara has now questioned Gareth Southgate's selection decisions and has urged the manager to axe Kane from the starting XI.

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In an interview with Grosvenor Sport, O'Hara said: "England had more problems with Harry Kane up front against Switzerland. He was non-existent. It’s like having Cristiano Ronaldo in the team – he’s only there because of his name. Gareth Southgate will never take him off because he thinks he might score – and he has scored a couple in this tournament – but he’s miles off the pace at the moment.

“You can say what you want about his overall game and what he brings to the team, but he hasn’t been good enough. Either Ivan Toney or Ollie Watkins probably deserve to start or at least get some minutes. England don’t need to keep Kane on the pitch anymore – the whole point of doing that was because he could still take penalties, but England have top penalty-takers now."

One of the primary concerns raised by O’Hara is Kane’s apparent lack of physical fitness. He described the Bayern Munich forward as “laboured” and “lazy,” criticising his lack of movement and effort in front of goal.

“There has to be a conversation about him not playing against the Netherlands – he looks laboured, lazy, he’s not making runs into the box and he’s not busting a gut to score goals anymore," he said.

As England gear up for their crucial match against the Netherlands, all eyes will be on Southgate's selection decisions and whether Kane is included in the line-up. If given a chance, the forward will try to keep no stone unturned to silence his critics with a match-winning performance on Wednesday and fire England to their second successive European Championship final.