LONDON: England captain Wayne Rooney has beseeched his new team-mate Harry Kane to savour the experience as the Tottenham Hotspur striker prepares for his first taste of international football.
Kane, 21, has been drafted into the England squad by manager Roy Hodgson after scoring 29 goals this season and could make his debut in Friday's 2016 European Championship qualifier at home to Lithuania.
It is over 12 years since Rooney made his England debut at the age of 17, in a friendly against Australia at Upton Park, and he has encouraged Kane to relish every second of his international career.
"When you're playing for your country, the one thing you want to do is enjoy it," Rooney told journalists at the England team hotel in Watford, north of London on Thursday.
"And listen to your friends and family and coaches, because if you start listening to people from the outside or reading too much of what is in the press about how good you want to be or how well you did or didn't do, it does affect your mind.
"So enjoy it and keep doing what he's doing, concentrate on his football. I'm sure he'll have a good career if he does that. It took me a few years (to realise that)."
Hodgson refused to reveal whether Kane would start against Lithuania, but Rooney predicted that the youngster would face a nervous night's sleep regardless.
"He'll be lying in bed tonight (Thursday) hoping that he'll make his England debut tomorrow," said Rooney, who described Kane's recent displays as "sizzling".
"I can imagine that. I know because I've felt the same feeling, the excitement he'll have tonight."
A sell-out crowd of 90,000 is expected at Wembley, but Hodgson believes Kane will be able to handle the attention.
Comments
Comments are closed.