England captain Harry Kane said he is ready to peak in the World Cup knockout stages after tailoring his conditioning to reach optimum match fitness.
The 29-year-old is yet to score in the tournament but has three assists to his name as Gareth Southgate’s side topped Group B to set up Sunday’s round of 16 clash against Senegal at Al Bayt Stadium.
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Kane won the Golden Boot at the 2018 tournament but five of his six goals came in the group stage before England were beaten by Croatia in the semifinals.
Last summer, England reached the Euro 2020 final as Kane scored in every knockout round after a goalless group phase apart from the Wembley showpiece, which Italy won in a penalty shootout.
Asked if he was aiming to manage his performances in a similar fashion once again, Kane said: “It probably goes back to 2018. In the World Cup, I felt like, just from a physical and maybe mental side of things, we started the tournament great, I started the tournament with loads of goals, used a lot of energy and as the tournament went on, I felt like my performances dipped in the latter stages.
“I was conscious before the Euros of trying to make it the other way. Of course I still wanted to start well but I was trying to make sure that physically and mentally I was in the best place for the knockout stages. I carried it into this tournament.
“I would love to be sitting here with two or three goals now for sure but I think the group stage has gone well. Minutes-wise, it has not been too tough.
