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England boss Gareth Southgate has admitted that Harry Kane was not at the fitness level he had hoped he would be for Euro 2024 as the captain was substituted again in the final against Spain.
England went behind right after half-time with Spain taking the lead through Nico Williams. With the Three Lions struggling across the following 10 minutes, Southgate made the decision to substitute his captain for the second game in a row, this time coming after just an hour.
His substitutes made a difference once again, with Cole Palmer coming off the bench to equalise before English hearts were broken thanks to a late goal from Mikel Oyarzabal.
But Southgate has admitted that Kane was not in the best shape coming into the tournament.
"I think physically it's been a tough period for him," Southgate told the BBC. "He came in short of games and not quite got up to the level we'd have all hoped. The games have been hugely demanding."
READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand take swipe at Gareth Southgate over Harry Kane treatment amid Marc Cucurella claim
READ MORE: England vs Spain highlights - England heartbreak as late Oyarzabal goal wins Euro 2024 final
Kane was substituted in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of the competition, with questions about Southgate's tactics throughout the tournament.
Former England and Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand queried on the BBC's coverage of the final why England had not played to the strengths of the striker following his standout season for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
Ferdinand said: "You need to play your players in their best possible positions that suit them and benefit them. I'll give you examples of two players. Kane I think he's played in a position after scoring 40-something goals for Bayern this season and he's played in this team in a way that doesn't suit him.
"We can talk about how good or bad he's played, but you need to play to people's strengths and if you switch that over to Cucurella, who was ridiculed by his own supporters at Chelsea, who comes here and is arguably the best left-back in the tournament because he was played to his strengths and he was given pictures that suited his game."
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