Harry Kane has insisted that he is "fine" after being substituted during extra-time of England's Euro 2024 quarter-final with Switzerland on Saturday night.

The Three Lions captain is his country's first-choice penalty-taker and would have been certain to be among the players to step forward in the shootout against the Swiss, had he been on the field.

However, Kane was substituted in the 109th minute after tumbling into the England dugout and almost colliding with his manager Gareth Southgate.

There were immediately concerns over the 30-year-old's fitness, with England now looking ahead to Wednesday's semi-final against the Netherlands, having beaten Switzerland on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

However, Kane has insisted that he was "just tired" and was suffering with cramp rather than an issue caused by his fall during the extra-time period.

A painful one for Harry Kane 🤕#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #ENGSUI pic.twitter.com/x5EUYCCCdb

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2024

Kane will be fit for Netherlands semi-final

"Yeah, I'm fine - I was just tired," Kane told reporters when asked about his fitness. "I had a bit of cramp there. I tripped over the water bottles and got cramp in both calves.

"The boss made a quick decision obviously with Ivan [Toney], a proven penalty taker. He came on and did the job."

Kane has scored twice in five appearances for England at Euro 2024, but the Bayern Munich striker has faced criticism for his perceived lack of movement.

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy has said that Southgate should consider dropping Kane from the starting XI against the Netherlands due to his apparent fitness problems.

© Imago

Murphy says Kane has been "sluggish" this summer

"I think the reason Harry Kane doesn't look at his best physically is he missed the end of the season with back problems, and like a lot of heavy-set players, it takes time to return to full sharpness. In the meantime, he looks sluggish," Murphy wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.

"The dilemma now for Gareth Southgate is what to do with his captain and talisman for the semi-final, because I think he got a bit lucky against the Swiss.

"The changes against Switzerland were almost forced on to Gareth because England fell behind and Kane was taken off after he'd been shoved and got cramp.

"With space opening up, the game had been crying out for an Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney well before Kane's substitution actually happened."

Kane entered this summer's European Championship off the back of scoring 44 goals and registering 12 assists in 45 appearances during his first season at Bayern.

Written by
Matt Law