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Harry Kane has defended England team-mate Harry Maguire after his two mistakes led to goals in Monday night’s 3-3 draw with Germany at Wembley.
The England captain said the defender was ‘playing on one leg’ for the final 10 minutes of the UEFA Nations League contest after picking up a knock.
It was another night to forget for the Manchester United man, who conceded possession then brought down Jamal Musiala to concede the penalty from which Ilkay Gundogan fired Germany ahead before losing the ball upfield in the lead-up to Kai Havertz’s second.
But England stormed back and led 3-2 following goals by Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and a Kane penalty, only for goalkeeper Nick Pope to fumble a shot from Serge Gnabry with three minutes left, allowing Havertz a simple tap-in for 3-3.
Maguire, whose poor form has seen him lose his place in the United team under Ten Hag, appeared to feel his leg after stretching for a second-half clearance but battled on.
‘Any individual mistake, you’re going to be gutted. But we are a team, we will get behind each other,’ Kane said.
‘They will learn from it and they’ll move on. They have been great for us every time they put the shirt on.
‘H [Maguire] had a pretty decent injury there at the end, where he played another five, 10 minutes, on almost one leg.
‘Great character from him, I’m really proud of him for that.’
Maguire’s United team-mate Luke Shaw also defended him after Monday night’s Wembley draw.
‘Harry is an amazing player, an amazing character,’ he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘He has taken a lot of stick – probably more than I’ve ever seen before in football.
‘He never hides away, he’s always there. You can have people who can hide away and not want to be in the spotlight.
‘He keeps putting himself in the spotlight, it shows the strength and character he’s got.
‘Everybody knows he’s an unbelievable player. At the moment the confidence might not be there because it could feel like the whole world is against him.
‘It’s tough for him, but us as players and staff are all behind him because he’s a very important player.
‘It shows Gareth’s trust because he’s played in both games [this week] – and look at the Euros what he’s done.
‘People need to understand he’s a big part of the England team and have to accept it.’