Harry Kane has proved Alan Shearer right after being backed to put his recent goalscoring troubles behind him for England.
The Tottenham striker scored his first goal at the European Championships this summer on Tuesday as he netted the second goal in the 2-0 win against Germany on Tuesday night in England's round of 16 clash.
And he followed that up with his second goal of the night early on in the quarter-final clash against Ukraine, scoring from inside the penalty box after being found by Raheem Sterling.
It came after Kane had faced criticism over his form in the early stages of the tournament, having failed to score in the group stage as England topped their group with seven points.
It had led to questions over whether Kane was being affected by transfer speculation over his future, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea among the potential suitors for the Spurs striker.
But Frank Lampard and Alan Shearer backed the 27-year-old to put the recent lack of goals for England behind him as the Three Lions take on Ukraine in Rome with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
Speaking on the BBC's coverage of the quarter-final clash, Lampard said: “Other than winning the game the other night, the most important thing was him getting on the scoresheet because of what he means to this team.
"He’s definitely been playing with a little bit of a look of he’s not firing, maybe he’s carrying something. I don’t know these things, but when he’s that good, you have to rely on him and when he comes good, he generally scores in matches, as great strikers do.”
Meanwhile, Alan Shearer has said he also felt that the goal would do Kane the world of good, backing the England captain to thrive after getting off the mark for the tournament.
“You know what it’s like, Gary [Lineker]," he said.
"We have an obsession with scoring goals, we have a love and a demand that we have to score goals. The world is a far better place.
"You cannot sleep at night because of the worry about where the next goal is coming from. I’m expecting we see a different Harry Kane now, we see a more free Harry Kane, better movement, it’s amazing what a goal does for your confidence. It makes you feel so much bigger and so much better. Don’t be surprised tonight if we see him on the scoresheet again because that’s the life of a centre-forward.”
It didn't take Kane long to prove him right, did it?
