Gareth Southgate warned of 'deeply worrying' England problem after surviving Serbia scare

Jamie Carragher believes England will not win Euro 2024 unless Gareth Southgate finds a way to reinvent Harry Kane's role within the team. The 30-year-old had a quiet night against Serbia despite almost scoring late on when he headed against the crossbar.

Kane usually drops deep to pick out his team-mates with incisive passes but took up a different role against Serbia and was less effective as a result. He only registered two touches in the first half of the match, prompting Jamie Carragher to question Southgate's tactical approach up front.

"For a player of his class, that is deeply worrying," wrote Carragher in his Telegraph column. "By full-time that had risen to 24, showing that he was more involved in the second half, ironic given that England were less dominant in possession.

"There is a tactical curiosity that when England played well, Kane was not involved at all. When they didn’t, he nearly scored and had more possession."

Carragher went on to suggest that Kane was playing in a similar role to Manchester City forward Erling Haaland, who often goes under the radar in games before popping up with an important goal or two.

"Score and it’s job done, fail to do so and questions start to be asked about whether the broader contribution is enough," added the Liverpool icon.

"Whereas Haaland strikes me as a striker who measures himself solely on the goal return, Kane does not. I’m not convinced playing as the old-fashioned battering ram against a physical centre-half is a role he enjoys or wants. He was not playing that way in the Euros opener because of selflessness.

"It was a compulsion, not a choice. The line-up demanded it from him. The England captain suggested in his post-match interview the set-up was designed specifically for the opening game. We will have to see what tweaks, if any, are made against Denmark and Slovenia."

It remains to be seen if Kane will revert to his usual role when England face Denmark in their next match on Thursday. He was not the only player to fall below expectations against Serbia, with several of his team-mates also struggling as England survived a late onslaught to claim all three points.

"The question for Southgate is this," wrote Carragher. "What serves the side better? Maximise the full capacities of Kane or continue to flood the space between the lines where he operates at his best? Short-term, I would expect Southgate to persist with Sunday night’s plan.

"But going forward, getting the most from Kane is the only way in which England can win the competition."