Wayne Rooney has admitted that he did not expect Harry Kane to make such an instant impact in an England shirt – but says the whole country is now captivated by his form.
The Tottenham striker, who leads the Premier League scoring charts with Diego Costa on 19 goals, scored just 79 seconds after coming off the bench in England’s 4-0 win over Lithuania on Friday.
And Rooney was full of praise for his new international colleague.
“It’s incredible, really. You can feel the excitement around the country,” he said.
“You could tell when he came on everyone wanted him there, and we are all delighted for him. He’s an exciting player.
“I said to him when I came off, ‘Go and get yourself a goal’ – but even he didn’t think he’d score so quick!
“I think there are things I could say to help him but there are things you have to learn on your own too, which I am sure he will do in the next year or two.
“He is obviously a little bit older than I was, and a bit wiser, as I was 16 or 17 when I came in.
“I think people try to help you but it is best on your own. When you are a young lad you do make mistakes and you have to learn from them because it will make you a better player.”