Harry Kane won’t just beat Wayne Rooney’s England goal record - he’ll smash it, predicts Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate has backed Harry Kane to go way beyond Wayne Rooney's England goal record after the captain's rout in the 10-0 win over San Marino last night.

Kane scored four times in 15 first-half minutes to make it seven goals in four days after his hat-trick against Albania on Friday.

The 28-year-old moved level with Gary Lineker on 48 England goals and within five of Rooney's all-time haul of 53, while smashing a 113-year record for goals in a calendar year, with 16.

Southgate is confident 67-cap Kane will go way beyond Rooney, who achieved his haul in 120 appearances.

Asked if he could ultimately set a record that would be hard to beat, Southgate said: "I think that would definitely be one of his goals.

"The remarkable thing is we haven't given him the opportunities with nights like [San Marino] too often.

"Certainly the other three games of this magnitude in this group, we didn't give him the minutes. He understood that, of course. He has got huge personal ambitions as well as the team ones. He showed again the clinical nature and mentality he has got.

“There is no reason he can't. It's not is he going to break the record, it is when, and what might he do once he is beyond that point."

The 10-0 win over San Marino, England's biggest victory since 1964, confirmed their place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and Southgate's side will have six matches before the tournament for Kane to break the record: two friendlies and four Nations League fixtures.

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