HARRY KANE IS the only world-class England player heading into the World Cup, according to Teddy Sheringham.
Gareth Southgate’s side have been drawn in a relatively favourable Group G for Russia, facing Belgium, Panama and Tunisia.
However, they are not considered among the favourites to win the showpiece tournament for the first time since 1966.
Sheringham, who scored 11 goals in 51 games for England, believes Southgate’s team will struggle to contend in Russia.
“Can we do well in Russia? Honestly, no. If you are going to win a World Cup you have to have two or three world-class players… at least. England have one – Kane,” he told the Daily Mail.
“You look around the rest of the team and, yes, there are good players but some of them cannot even get into their club teams, which is terrible for English football. I love Gareth as a man and a person and I like what he is trying to do, but he’s up against it.
“It is going to be a really tough summer. We just find it hard to win games in the World Cup. We struggle with tournament football. We have had good squads over the years, but it is tough to take the English mentality to World Cups. Teams know the style.
“Teams expect us to play that way. Other countries are more clever to our ways than we are to theirs. Gareth is trying to do it, but it is a tough task to ask him to do it with the players we have.”
Kane has continued to shine for Spurs this season, scoring 35 goals in all competitions.
Sheringham feels the 24-year-old could make a move to any club in the world, but he urged Tottenham to keep him — by winning trophies.
“If he was up for sale, he could go anywhere, no problem,” he said. “And that is why Tottenham need to keep him. They need to win something this year, they need to keep him happy, pay him more money so he is on a parallel with other top players.
“You probably wouldn’t have to break the bank to keep him. He is a happy man, a contented man, and the club are on the way up. As long as that continues I am sure he will be happy.”
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