Kane states why he and Vardy can play together for England

Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy: Can start for England

Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy: Can start for England

Harry Kane is confident he and Jamie Vardy can forge a winning partnership for England if they get the chance to start together.

Kane finished top of the Premier League scoring charts after netting 25 times for Tottenham, with Vardy just one behind as he spearheaded Leicester’s triumphant title campaign.

The pair both appear to have irresistible claims on a starting place at Euro 2016 but, in March friendlies against Germany and Holland, manager Roy Hodgson preferred to start one and bring the other on as a substitute.

But with Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge unavailable having just returned from the Europa League final and Manchester United pair Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford on FA Cup final duty this weekend, the path is clear to pair the in-form duo against Turkey at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

“Jamie has had a fantastic season and scored a lot of goals so if we are playing together it will be very exciting,” said Kane ahead of the first of three warm-up matches.

“We are different sort of players – he has got a lot of pace and can run in behind. That will probably allow me to drop off and get into space.

“If the manager puts us together we will be ready to go and try to score as many goals as we can.”

Both men are brimming with confidence given their recent achievements, but Kane says they have avoided repeating their recent bout of light-hearted social media sparring.

At the height of Spurs’ pursuit of the title Kane tweeted a picture of four lions apparently ready pounce, with Leicester their apparent prey.

The image clearly lingered with Vardy, who shared his own version of events once the Foxes were confirmed as champions – this time a still from Disney’s The Lion King, showing a leading character falling to his doom.

“We had a bit of banter over social media but everything is all good,” said Kane.

“Winning the Golden Boot is always nice, it’s something I’m very proud of, but nothing has really been said about that (finishing ahead of Vardy).

“He won the Premier League so there isn’t much I can really say!

“When I saw him I congratulated him on winning the league.”

The outstanding performances of Kane and Vardy have thrust a different kind of spotlight of captain Rooney.

While in previous tournaments he has shouldered most of the burden for England’s attacking exploits, many are now suggesting he may have to move back into a midfield role to remain in the starting XI.

With 109 caps and a national record 51 goals, Rooney’s Three Lions CV still carries considerable weight, not least with his team-mates.

“Wayne is a great player and our captain. He is the one that leads us out,” said Kane.

“The stats are there to see. As a striker, that’s all you can look at. He is a fantastic player, a great trainer and works very hard. I can only learn off players like Wayne.

“You’ve seen throughout his career he doesn’t just score goals, he creates goals and has a great pass on him.

“So if the manager picks him in a deeper role and me up top in France, of course I’ll be looking forward to that kind of service.”