Roy Hodgson has angrily accused photographers of ‘spying’ on the England squad after a picture has emerged which shows Harry Kane in a mock starting XI.
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Hodgson was snapped holding a scrap of paper at England’s training base which on closer inspection suggested Kane would start upfront for the national side on Friday against Lithuania with Wayne Rooney alongside him.
The accidental revelation was discovered as Kane took part in his first ever training session with the Three Lions on Tuesday.
Andros Townsend, Ross Barkley, Ryan Mason and Theo Walcott were the men named in a four-man midfielder whilst Phil Jones and Chris Smalling seemed to be selected in defence.
However, following the revelation Hodgson reacted with anger claiming that there should be no assumptions that Kane will start on Friday, saying that the media were involved in ‘espionage’ despite the training session being open to the media.
“That is dangerous to do that,” Hodgson said, reports Sky News.
“First of all it is dangerous to spy on those things at a training session. The fact is that piece of paper is a piece of paper we take out to training because we have to select teams.
“I don’t think it’s right to suggest that in order to avoid this type of espionage I have to remember everything I have thought about but we change people around quite often.
“If that is what people want to read into the espionage that is up to them, but I hope they are not going to come and blame me if I don’t start with Kane and Rooney and say ‘we had it on your piece of paper’ because they shouldn’t be looking at it in the first place.”
If Kane were to begin in the European Championship qualifier it would be his first start for the national side, as it would be for Tottenham teammate Ryan Mason in midfield.