England have 'Cristiano Ronaldo problem' as 'lazy' star set for Netherlands clash

England have been warned that Harry Kane is holding them back at Euro 2024 in the same way as Cristiano Ronaldo did with Portugal. Kane is expected to start for the Three Lions against the Netherlands on Wednesday as they hunt a place in this weekend’s final.

The England skipper has scored two goals at the Euros but continues to be slated for his lack of input when his team-mates are pushing forward. Jamie O’Hara believes Kane causes a similar problem to Ronaldo, who started every game for Portugal despite failing to score in open play.

Speaking to 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 of 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.

“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.”

Many fans and pundits have wondered if dropping Kane would give England a much-needed refresh in the final third, with the Three Lions struggling to score at the Euros. Trent Alexander-Arnold, however, is convinced that Kane needs to lead the line against the Netherlands.

“Anyone facing England would like to see Harry Kane not playing,” said the Liverpool defender. “We’re talking about England’s record scorer. He’s scored two in this tournament, helped us win games and, as our captain, leads by example.

“He puts everything into games. People will always have opinions but he is leading us into a semi-final. He is part of the reason why the environment is such a good one in camp and he is a reason why we’re heading into a semi-final.”