England players are an easy target to poke fun at, but it also reflects the weak mentality of supporters ahead of this year’s World Cup, striker Harry Kane said.
The 24-year-old Tottenham Hotspur forward was ridiculed on social media last month after his decision to appeal the awarding of a Tottenham goal at Stoke City to Christian Eriksen.
Kane was then derided by the FA Cup’s twitter account in the wake of Spurs’ semi-final defeat by Manchester United, which manager Mauricio Pochettino said was “embarrassing”.
“It is easier these days to maybe banter England players or take the mick out of England players, if we don’t do well in the World Cup it’s, ‘Oh we told you so’,” Kane told British media.
“It’s maybe a weaker mentality, but it is what it is, as a team we are focused on what we need to do.
“We have got to go with a mindset and a belief that we can win, we try and win everything we do and the World Cup is no different.
Kane, who has scored 27 Premier League goals this season, is expected to play a key role in England’s World Cup campaign in June.
Gareth Southgate’s men kick off their campaign against Tunisia in Volgograd on June 18. Panama and Belgium are their other two Group G opponents.