Are England repeating Kane mistake? Rooney's warning to Tuchel

Panama v England: Group L - FIFA World Cup 2026

Wayne Rooney has warned Thomas Tuchel that he must avoid repeating a critical mistake made by former manager Gareth Southgate regarding the fitness of Harry Kane. Despite the captain finding the net again in a 2-0 victory over Panama, the Three Lions' all-time leading scorer remains at the centre of a debate concerning his workload during major tournaments.

Rooney calls for smarter management of Kane

England faced a frustrating opening period against a physical Panama side, heading into the interval at 0-0 before eventually finding their rhythm in the second half. Jude Bellingham broke the resistance after 62 minutes with a clever flick from a corner, and Kane quickly doubled the advantage just five minutes later with a clinical header. Rooney believes that Tuchel must be proactive in preserving Kane’s fitness by withdrawing the striker in the closing stages of matches that are already secured.

“In previous tournaments with Harry Kane, I think he has looked a little bit tired towards the end of tournaments,” Rooney told BBC Sport. “He came off in the 84th minute, I think the minute he scored and England were 2-0 up and the game is done, get him off. Even if it is 20 minutes left, you know in the last 20 minutes of games, that is when you get fatigued and that is when it takes the most out of you."

Panama v England: Group L - FIFA World Cup 2026

Learning from past tournament fatigue

Rooney was clear in his assessment of Kane’s physical condition during the latter stages of England’s recent tournament history. The Manchester United legend argued that once a game is won, there is no need to keep the captain on the pitch, especially given the high stakes of the Golden Boot race involving the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

"We’re in danger now of going into a World Cup where you have got Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe, Harry Kane, Vini Jr, all trying to get the Golden Boot when it's about the country. We saw it with Southgate when he never took Kane off, I hope Tuchel learns from that and he gives him a rest when he can," Rooney noted.

Tuchel defends the 'hard work' in Panama victory

Meanwhile Tuchel remained focused on the tactical execution of the victory, praising his side for their patience against an opponent that offered very little space. The German coach acknowledged that while it was not a free-flowing performance, the result was a fair reflection of their dominance at both ends of the pitch.

“We did what was needed,” Tuchel explained after the final whistle. “It was what we expected – a tough match against a physical opponent. It was difficult to score – we were the only team to create this amount of chances and scored twice against them. We were very aggressive. We had to be very careful with the counter-attacks because they’re strong – we did well and deserved to win, but it was hard work.”

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Focus shifts to the knockout rounds

The win secured top spot for England in the group and a Round of 32 clash against DR Congo. With the group stage now successfully navigated, Tuchel is looking for his squad to elevate their performance levels as the pressure increases.

“There’s more to build on,” Tuchel added. “You have to get so many details right. It’s an aggressive approach that we take to defend one-on-one. If you’re close to the pitch, you see it. The tournament starts again now in the knockouts. Now we collect our strengths and we build on what we have. The team spirit, fighting spirit, the belief, and we will step up. The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get.”