England legend Michael Owen gives advice to Harry Kane ahead of 2026 World Cup

Michael Owen has given tactical advice to Harry Kane and England manager Thomas Tuchel, with the former Three Lions striker telling GOAL why the ‘best finisher in the world’ must heed the advice when it comes to doing his ‘job’. As the ultimate team player, Kane is happy to drop wide and deep, but this keeps him away from areas where he can cause the most damage. Record breaker: Kane posts astonishing numbers Kane has always inflicted great pain on his domestic and international rivals, with remarkable individual standards maintained with club and country. Tottenham’s all-time top scorer took his historic goal tally for England to 78 and broke records by plundering 124 efforts for Bayern Munich in 130 appearances. He smashed his duck trophy, becoming a Bundesliga title winner, and has two German Golden Boots to his name. Bayern will look to him for inspiration in defending their domestic title and bidding for Champions League honors. Kane reiterated the need to do one’s “job.” When the World Cup final takes place this summer, Kane will spearhead England’s quest for a world crown as captain of the Three Lions. He will be asked to deliver the final product on the biggest of stages, with timely reminders of the need to continue to play to his strengths. Former Bayern boss Felix Magath recently told Sport: “I would always use players according to their strengths. Harry Kane can score goals. He is praised by everyone and everyone cheers for him because he also runs at the back. But that’s not his job. If he were to run up front rather than in midfield or at the back, it would be better for the team.” Owen’s Tip: How England are getting the most out of captain Kane It is not the first time Kane has faced questions over his willingness to leave the frontline, and it is possible his numbers could be even better. Owen hopes England can find a way to get the best out of their skipper. The former Three Lions frontman – speaking in association with casino.org, where he is now the UK ambassador for the online casino comparison site – told GOAL when asked if Kane wandering on the pitch was a problem: “It depends a lot on who he’s playing for. When he was at Spurs it worked really well because [Heung-min] His son had a lot of rhythm and they exchanged – one came and the other went. It was difficult for the defenders to mark them. “It depends a lot on who plays in the team. He can step in and project the ball but, for me, I would like Harry Kane – especially at the age he is now – to save a lot of his energy to score goals, to stay in and around the box. “The problem with being a centre-forward is that you rely so much on your team-mates to get you the ball. If it’s a tough game and you’re struggling to win the ball back, the natural tendency is to get involved, to go deep. While this gives you a bit of confidence and makes you feel like you’re engaged in the game, sometimes you need that goal to achieve. “Personally, I think he’s arguably the best finisher in the world. I don’t really want him to waste too many touches playing deep. Of course, linking up the play is something he has to do, to be a building block of the team, but I wouldn’t want him to come too deep. I also understand because the older you get you might start to lose half a meter of pace and you might feel like you had a good game even if you don’t score by playing a few balls and helping a little bit I went “In general, he is our biggest hope. Who can’t get injured before the tournament, who do we need most? It still has to be him. Who do we have in our league? Harry Kane scores goals like no one else. We really need him, fully fit and saving all his energy to score goals.” England schedule: Countdown to the 2026 World Cup Kane will be hoping to add to his international goals tally, while moving even closer to Peter Shilton’s record of 125 caps, when England face Uruguay and Japan in friendlies at the end of March. These will be the last matches Tuchel gets to experience before the Cup plans of the world needs to be elaborated, the Three Lions – who have two preparatory matches to play after traveling to the United States – are expected to kick off their quest for world glory against Croatia on June 17.