Gareth Southgate has revealed he rejected a request from Harry Kane during England's win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Three Lions played their first of two warm-up games prior to Euro 2024, claiming a 3-0 win at St James' Park.
Cole Palmer opened the scoring from the spot on the hour mark for his first England goal, before Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kane added gloss on the victory.
With players still coming back from injuries and extended seasons, the starting XI was far from England's first-choice.
Advert
The likes of Ezra Konsa, Lewis Dunk, Marc Guehi, Jarrod Bowen, Ebere Eze and Ollie Watkins all got the nod from the off.
Captain and record scorer Kane started on the bench but entered the fray for a 30-minute cameo.
He came on mere seconds after Chelsea star Palmer had opened his account with a spot-kick.
Marc Guehi was fouled in the area and a VAR review saw the referee award a spot-kick.
Palmer, who has a perfect record from 12 yards for Chelsea, took responsibility.
But Kane, England's usual penalty taker, was desperate to take it according to Southgate.
"Our plan today was half an hour and he'll start on Friday. He had the audacity to ask to come on and to score the penalty which was never going to happen! The great thing is we've got through the last few days with no new problems," Southgate told Radio 5 Live, as per The Mirror.
"That's really important. We needed to get through these first matches to get a clearer picture. The guys rehabbing have done well. [Bosnia] were an opponent that were dogged, determined."
Bayern Munich star Kane will lead the line against Iceland at Wembley on Friday as England step up preparations for the Euros.
They take on Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on 16 June for their tournament opener in Group C.
Topics: Gareth Southgate, England, Euro 2024
Josh Lawless