Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane shake hands after England's 3-0 win over Bosnia (Image: Getty)
England manager Gareth Southgate has disclosed that he turned down a request from Harry Kane to take the penalty that Cole Palmer eventually scored in the 3-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Kane, who came on as a substitute for the last 30 minutes of Monday night's victory, scoring England's third goal, had wanted to take the penalty just seconds after Palmer struck. However, Southgate intervened, ensuring the Chelsea player took it.
Despite missing the final two games of Bayern's season due to a back injury, Kane was back in action for the Three Lions. And Southgate has dismissed any worries about the striker's fitness.
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The England manager confirmed that Kane will start Friday's match against Iceland at Wembley, and shared how he had to reject a bold request from his captain.
"Our plan today was half an hour and he'll start on Friday. He had the audacity to ask to come on and to score the penalty which was never going to happen! The great thing is we've got through the last few days with no new problems," Southgate told BBC Radio 5 Live.
He added: "That's really important. We needed to get through these first matches to get a clearer picture. The guys rehabbing have done well. [Bosnia] were an opponent that were dogged, determined."
Physically, it was a good workout but in the end, a good performance. The scoreline reflected the performance. We had a lot of fresh players to bring in. Once you break that resistance then it starts to come.
"A lot players didn't have many caps that started so it was going to be a sticky start. I thought the intensity of the game was good. Winning and clean sheets are good habits to have."
Kane made his entrance just after Palmer netted his first goal for England from the penalty spot. Trent Alexander-Arnold then volleyed home a Jack Grealish cross, doubling the lead for the hosts.
Kane sealed the victory by nudging the ball into the net from close range. The skipper himself is eager to kick off England's Euros campaign.
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"I'm feeling good. A lot of the end of season was precaution. There was a big summer coming up so we didn't want to take risks with it. In the end, it was a good chance to get a good break at the end of a tough season," he shared with Channel 4.
"Obviously, we've been in camp now for a week. I've had a good week training, some minutes here. I'm sure I'll get some minutes on Friday and I'll be ready to go for the group stage. I feel fine. I'm not someone who takes too long to get sharp."
