‘Can Harry Kane not be subbed?’ - England face favouritism criticism after Gareth Southgate refuses to replace 63-goal leading scorer in Euro 2024 opener against Serbia

The 30-year-old frontman is captain of his country and their all-time leading scorer, with 63 international goals to his name. He also won the European Golden Shoe in 2023-24 after finding the target on 44 occasions through his debut campaign at Bayern Munich.

Kane was, however, well short of his best against Serbia. He struggled to get into the game – barely touching the ball in the opening 45 minutes – and began to drop deeper as the Three Lions retreated into their shell. His one clear sight of goal produced a spectacular save, as a close-range header was palmed onto the crossbar.

Gareth Southgate opted not to replace Kane, despite having Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins on the bench, with former England and Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor telling talkSPORT: “Kane - can he not be subbed? It was crying out for someone to run in behind, Watkins or Toney, but especially Watkins with his pace. Get him on the field. Harry Kane not 100 per cent fit, doesn't have to play every minute of every game. He has to make these changes earlier on.”

Southgate favoured added graft over guile as England clung on to the 1-0 lead handed to them by Jude Bellingham, with Agbonlahor adding on other in-game selection errors from a coach that has faced plenty of criticism for being overly cautious: “We were watching the game saying 'you can make a sub when you're winning'. Top managers make subs when you're winning - don't wait until the opposition score, then you panic and say '[Anthony] Gordon, Watkins, get ready, come on'. It wasn't working. [Phil] Foden wasn't performing, at 55 minutes don't be scared. Yes, he got [Premier League] Player of the Season, but it doesn't matter, this is England and we've got so many good players. 'Gordon, on you go, start running at pace at these full-backs'.”

England must now decide whether they need to shuffle their pack for a second Group C outing against Denmark on Thursday. Kane will likely be handed a starting berth once again, but the likes of Foden and Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold – who is being deployed in midfield – may be sweating on their spots.