Martin Glenn defends FA after Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino's Harry Kane comments
Monday 28 September 2015 09:59, UK
The Football Association has appeared to hit back at Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino over his comments about striker Harry Kane.
Pochettino claimed the 22-year-old lost his confidence after playing for the England U21 team in the European Championship in Slovakia during the summer.
But FA chief executive Martin Glenn has defended Kane's selection for the tournament and highlighted Spurs' decision to take the player on their lucrative end-of-season tour to Asia and Australia.
Kane has suffered from a dip in form since, although he has netted twice for England and scored his first Premier League goal of the season as Tottenham beat Manchester City 4-1 on Saturday.
Among those in attendance at White Hart Lane on Saturday was England boss Roy Hodgson, who is expected to name Kane in his squad for the European Qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania.
Glenn said: "It was great to see Harry score and the performances I have seen have certainly merited that reward.
"A number of our young players are thriving in the league, having played in the summer U21 tournament, although they didn't all embark on commercial tours of the Far East with their clubs, as Harry had to with Spurs.
"International tournament experience is vital for our young players. Every nation to have won a major tournament can trace their success back to their development teams.
"We need to respect and recognise the importance of playing for England and the great benefits it can bring to young players."
