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Harry Kane hoping to scale the heights with England in the World Cup

England's Harry Kane speaks during the media day at St George's Park, Burton yesterday Picture by PA
England's Harry Kane speaks during the media day at St George's Park, Burton yesterday Picture by PA England's Harry Kane speaks during the media day at St George's Park, Burton yesterday Picture by PA

HARRY Kane insists he is in peak condition for the World Cup after the Fifa website mistakenly listed his weight as 15-and-a-half stone.

The England captain says he is at his “fighting weight” for the tournament in Russia this month, around 89 or 90 kilos rather than the 96 kilos that Fifa stated.

“The lads came over to me yesterday afternoon and said my weight had been put at 96 kilos,” Kane said at the England media day, broadcast on Sky Sports HQ.

“I don’t know if it’s been changed but I’m definitely not 15-and-a-half-stone. I’m normally about 89 or 90 kilos. We weigh most days when we get up and that’s normally my fighting weight.”

Kane says he is 100 per cent fit heading into the tournament after suffering a few injuries for Tottenham last season.

“I feel really good and training has been of a high intensity,” he added.

“Obviously everyone is fighting for places and that has pushed everyone along fitness-wise.

“It’s been a tough camp and that’s what we all needed. It was good to get some minutes on the weekend and I’m fully refreshed.”

England failed to get out of the group stages in Brazil four years ago, but Kane says Gareth Southgate’s squad will not be thinking about past World Cup failures.

“The main thing is to believe it can be different,” he said.

“It’s been tough because for the last 50 years we haven’t won anything. We’ve got to stay focused on ourselves and not worry about the teams in the past.

“We’re our own team and our own identity. We’ve got to enjoy the occasion and we can’t wait to get out there and get started.”

England start their World Cup campaign against Tunisia in Volgograd on June 18. The group also includes Belgium and Panama, and Kane revealed that the England squad have been practising penalties before the tournament.

“We haven’t been doing it every session,” Kane said ahead of tomorrow’s warm-up friendly with Costa Rica in Leeds.

“But just now and then the coaches will throw it in at the end when we’re a little bit fatigued. That’s obviously when it’s going to happen at the end of extra-time when the lads are tired.

“We haven’t spoken about it too much because it’s about freeing your mind. Just pick where you want to go and go with it.”

England midfielder Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, insists the criticism he has received for having a gun tattoo on his leg has not affected his preparation for the World Cup in Russia.

Sterling (inset) said the “unfinished” tattoo references the shooting of his father who was gunned down in Jamaica when the Manchester City striker was just two years of age.

The 23-year-old said the artwork is a reminder to him to “never touch a gun”. Sterling, however, has been accused by some of glamorising gun crime, although he said at England’s World Cup media day that he was simply focused on training and was more concerned for the welfare of his family.

“(This week) it’s not really been that tough,” Sterling said.

“Things happened and get spoken about, but I put that to one side. I’ve been focused on training and playing Nigeria, so for me it was a normal week to be honest.

“The only thing that changed was that I was in the newspapers a bit more. I just got on with my day. I spoke with my mum and she was OK. My daughter and my son are OK, I’m fine.

“That was the least of my worries. It’s obviously bad to see yourself spoken of in that light, but it’s not something that gets me down. I’ve got a World Cup to prepare for and I’ve had training sessions every day, so my mind was already occupied. That was the least of my worries.”

Most pundits believe England will have had a successful World Cup if they reach the quarter-finals. But Sterling said he would be disappointed if they did not make it past the group stage.

“I expect the group, the team, to show their real character,” he said.

“We’ve been building over this past year and made real progress as a team. We’re starting to control games better, which was a big issue for us, and these little things we’re putting in place will only do us well in this tournament.”