Kane Keen to Start Against Belgium

England hat-trick hero Harry Kane wants to start against Belgium on Thursday to continue his quest to win the World Cup’s Golden Boot.

Kane bagged a hat-trick as England thrashed Panama 6-1 on Sunday, a result which sent both them and the Belgians through to the last 16.

The two sides will now meet in Kaliningrad on Thursday with top spot in the group at stake but both are expected to make changes and rest key men ahead of the knockout stage.

However, Kane, who is now the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals, is not keen to be among those left out.

“I want to continue, the form I’m in, but whatever decision the gaffer makes we’ll get behind,” he said.

“But obviously I want to play. The most important thing is always winning games, and if my goals help my team win then that’s the perfect situation.

“There’s a long way to go and a lot of good players just behind me (on the scorers’ list). Hopefully, I can just continue and take it into Thursday’s game.”

Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku is one of those lurking just behind Kane, he has four goals so far but the Manchester United striker is set to miss out on facing England after he picked up an ankle injury against Tunisia on Saturday.

Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens also suffered knocks in that 5-2 win and boss Roberto Martinez has promised “major changes” to his starting XI.