West Ham United legend Paolo Di Canio has savaged England following the 0-0 draw with Scotland at Euro 2020 and slammed Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.
Hammers star Declan Rice has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the game over the last few years for club and country.
Rice’s season with West Ham ended on a high after sealing qualification for the Europa League.
But the 22-year-old West Ham midfielder will today be finding out – probably for the first time – what it feels like to be under pressure and scrutiny as part of an England side that has under performed in a big game when expectations were high.
Shackled Rice did little wrong but England fail to live up to the hype once again in drab Scotland draw
Rice did little wrong as he was once again chained inside his own half by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.
As West Ham fans will attest, Rice has so much more to offer to England’s midfield than that.
But it is not just in England that people were left disappointed by the performance against the Scots.
Given his time spent playing in England and Scotland, former West Ham and Celtic hero Di Canio was a pundit on Sky Sports Italia for the game.
West Ham legend Di Canio savages Southgate’s England and criticises Spurs star Kane
As West Ham fans know, Di Canio is never shy when it comes to saying what he thinks. That was evident when he slammed the club’s decision to leave Upton Park in an emotional feature for Sky Sports Italia.
And he did not disappoint, savaging Southgate and his side, saying they ‘have no identity’. Di Canio also criticised Tottenham striker Harry Kane for lacking enthusiasm.
“It’s (England) a lot of talented players stuck together, but they have no identity, no movement, no invention, no courage to make a searching pass, it’s just not in their DNA,” Di Canio said on Sky Sports Italia, as reported by Football Italia.
‘He doesn’t put his heart into it’
“When the central midfielders can’t play, they need Stones or someone to play their way out from the back. He’s no (Leonardo) Bonucci, but he has to try. It’s not just the players, but the coach has to tell them they are making the wrong runs at the wrong time.
“I’ve been saying for the last three months of the Premier League season, and let it be known I adore Kane, that I didn’t like his attitude. He doesn’t put heart into it, he doesn’t chase players down.
“We all know he wants to leave Tottenham, but that attitude has continued on into the Euros. I think it’s more a mental issue than a physical one, he’s out of steam.”
If Euro 2020 does not pan out well for Rice and England, the West Ham star and fans will at least have European club football to look forward to next season. And here is when the Hammers will find out who they will be facing in the Europa League.
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