England at the World Cup: Harry Kane must be "sensible" as Roy Keane highlights major concern with Thomas Tuchel's striker

Roy Keane has claimed that England will need Harry Kane to stop dropping deep as often if they are to win the World Cup.

Thomas Tuchel's men played their first game of the summer in North America on Saturday, beating New Zealand 1-0 in one of two friendlies that have been scheduled to take place before the nation's first group game against Croatia on June 17.

Captain Kane scored the only goal of the game against the Kiwis, nodding home after clever movement in the box allowed him to get onto the end of Djed Spence's cross just before the half-time interval.

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Pundit Roy Keane was covering the match for ITV on Saturday, and while he praised the striker, he insisted that England will only be able to win the competition if the forward primarily occupied the box, saying: "With that experience, [Kane's] got to be sensible, we're talking about the conditions.

"He doesn't need to be coming back beyond the halfway line trying to spray balls, there's enough players who can do that and enough quality. You get yourself in there, you're the best in the world at this moment in time. If England want to win the big trophy, he's going to be your main man."

Kane has often dropped deep to collect the ball for the Three Lions, but many pundits have argued that it has blunted his impact for England on the biggest stages.

'There's no way the manager will be wanting him to do that, [...] and to me that is RIDICULOUS' ?

Roy Keane discusses Harry Kane's positioning against New Zealand ?️ pic.twitter.com/68t59y4CLV
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 7, 2026

Harry Kane at the World Cup: Is Roy Keane right?

It is difficult to criticise Harry Kane considering he scored 61 goals and provided seven assists in 51 games for Bayern Munich in 2025-26.

Should England win the World Cup, the 32-year-old would almost certainly be the frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or, and he has put himself in a position to win the prestigious award because of how he interprets the number nine role.

Kane has been dropping deep to collect the ball since Jose Mourinho arrived at Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, and he has often been able to turn under no pressure and play passes in behind to wide attackers.

The Bayern star can at times struggle to impact play when he drops deep if he is tightly marked given he is not the most agile of forwards.

If Tuchel can find the right balance up front, then Kane has every chance of leading England to World Cup glory this summer.

Can England win the World Cup with the backups to Harry Kane?

Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney will likely be seen by Tuchel as the primary backup options for Kane, and though they will not expect to start many games, they must be ready when called upon.

Watkins disappointed for much of Aston Villa's season, but the centre-forward enjoyed a renaissance in the latter stages of the campaign, scoring 12 goals and providing three assists in his final 13 matches of 2025-26.

Toney scored 32 goals in 32 games for Al-Ahli, though the level of competition in the Saudi Pro League is not as strong as some of Europe's top division's.

Kane is unlikely to be displaced from the XI barring injury, but Watkins could be a strong backup to the Bayern star.