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HARRY Kane’s £104million move from Tottenham to Bayern Munich has come with an added bonus for England boss Gareth Southgate.Kane, 30, has been in remarkable form for the German champions as he seeks to end his long trophy drought.Harry Kane is England’s top goalscorerHarry Kane has been banging in the goals for Bayern this season in the BundesligaHe has scored 37 goals in 35 games in all competitions this season since moving to Bavaria.His haul includes a remarkable 31 goals in 26 Bundesliga games, along with nine assists.But his exploits are not just benefitting Bayern Munich.Southgate stands to reap the rewards of Kane’s move to Germany, as the England captain has improved in the past seven months.Read more footballs storiesWe have highlighted three ways in which Kane’s game has improved in Munich.And the new improved Harry Kane could be the key man for England in Germany in the summer, at Euro 2024.More traditional positioningKane has never been a traditional target striker and he has always liked to drop back into the midfield to help link the play for his team. There was a sense, however, that during his last season in England with Spurs he was coming too far deep and leaving his side without a focal point of attack. Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERKane is a creative forward who is also an incredible finisher.And at Bayern he is spending more time playing in a position that we would consider to be more normal for centre forwards.This is partly because of the fact that Bayern are, usually, dominant domestically in a way that Spurs never really were. This means that they tend to play against teams who sit in a deeper defensive block and try to deny Bayern any space to attack into the final third. As such, we have seen Kane develop his ability to push the opposition defenders back through his positioning.Inside Harry Kane’s life in MunichKane holds a central position against Lazio and allows his team to move into the space behind himHarry Kane plays the more traditional No9 role for BayernBut for England, Kane has tended to drop deeper and widerIn a recent Bundesliga game against Mainz, Kane scored three goals and had two assists, and had 10 touches in the opposition penalty area.Compare that to a recent game for England against lowly Malta last November, where he only touched the ball three times in the box – one of which was a finish for a goal.England in major tournaments tend to struggle to break teams down in the early stages as they sit deeper and look to restrict the space in the final third. With Kane starting to develop his game more, even at 30 years old, to be able to play effectively against this kind of team will be hugely helpful for England in Germany.Kane’s skill in the box will help as the Three Lions look to make the most of their dominance in possession.Interestingly, we have also seen Kane start to trust teammates more. This means that the English international striker no longer thinks that he has to constantly be around the ball in the final third in order to link the play and help his team to create or break through the opposition. Now, we have started to see Kane move away from the ball more often.This in turn stretches the opposition defence and creates opportunities to attack an isolated opponent in the defensive line.Kane is stretching out the defensive line by making a run on the far side to attack the back of the penalty areaThe move to Bayern Munich seems to have allowed Kane to take a step away from having to be the captain and key attacking player, as he was at Spurs.The England legend has started to develop his game into becoming a better all-round striker.Giving his team the platform to attackWith Kane starting to position himself more as a traditional centre forward he has also developed his ability to play with his back to goal.He as found himself developing his skills like linking the attack and bringing others into the game. This is a result of the fact that, as discussed above, we are now seeing Kane position himself more centrally and higher up the pitch for longer periods of time. When Kane was still at Spurs he would receive the ball with his back to goal.But typically these were in transition as Spurs were counter attacking.During Kane’s time at White Hart Lane, Tottenham were never a side that could be described as being possession-dominant domestically. This meant that he would receive and look to twist and turn to outplay the defender or prolong the attack.With Kane now playing at Bayern he is in a side that are far more dominant in terms of possession.And we see Kane in positions where he can take in the ball and then immediately look to feed it off to link with teammates who are making runs to support the attack.Kane drops off a yard or two to receive the ball and then links in immediately with a teammate moving from a deeper positionThis, again, will be important for England this summer in the Euros as they will have a more dominant possession-based style than a lot of their opponents. It is vital in these kinds of tactical systems to have strikers who are comfortable playing high and pushing the opposition back, and who can receive and link with teammates in one or two touches.The fact that Kane will now initially position himself higher and against the opposition central defenders before dropping deep towards the ball will also disrupt the opposition by pulling defenders out of position. As Kane is becoming expert at staying high and then dropping deep at the right moments so opposition defenders will be forced out of position as they come out to match the run. This should, in turn, create space in the defensive line that Kane’s teammates can exploit. This should mean that the likes of Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham will have space to attack in the summer.Harry Kane times the right moment to drop deep and drag a defender out of position, and his teammates move to attack the space he has createdAs a striker who acts as the focal point, the move to Germany appears to have led to Kane developing his game understanding and tactical intelligence.Intelligent pressureWith Kane having moved from the Premier League to the Bundesliga he has left a league where the schedule and constant quality of opposition is intense – to move to a league where the style of play is intense. German football has long been characterised as being intense both in terms of the play on the ball in possession, with an emphasis on forward passes, and intensity out of possession with pressing and counter-pressing against the ball.While Kane was at Spurs there were times that they would act as a high-pressing side but there were also long periods where he was not expected to press aggressively out of possession. At Bayern, however, there is an expectation that he presses and works hard immediately against the opposition in order to disrupt and slow down the pace of their build-up.Harry Kane reads the game well and moves forward at the right moment to put pressure on the centre half and force the mistakeThis coming summer should see England and their coach Gareth Southgate look to be more aggressive out of possession in terms of looking to be dominant in winning the ball back as quickly as possible as the opposition attack.With Kane now becoming more conditioned to working and pressing, even when isolated as the only player who is looking to add pressure and regain possession we will see England become much more effective against the ball in the summer.Harry Kane’s hard work as a pressing forward again forces the ball wide, where team-mates also press the defenderThere is little doubt that the move from Kane to a league where pressing and counter-pressing is the norm has developed his ability and willingness to work against the ball for his team. This should see him effectively lead the press for England.ConclusionHarry Kane took a risk last summer in leaving an extremely comfortable situation where he was a leader in the changing room to move to a new league and a new culture where he had to prove himself again. READ MORE SUN STORIESThe move has been a success both in terms of the way that he has played and in terms of the development of key parts of his game.This coming summer should see England reap the benefits of this move as they have a more well-rounded captain and striker leading the team. More

NO sooner had Amad Diallo become a hero for downing fierce rivals Liverpool in an FA Cup classic, he was unfortunately the villain of the piece in the referee’s eyes.After his shot evaded Caoimhín Kelleher in the Reds goal, kissed the post and bounced over the line at an ecstatic Old Trafford, he whipped off his shirt to celebrate in front of a delighted Stretford End.Amad Diallo celebrates scoring the winner against LiverpoolCredit: EPAIvorian youngster Amad’s low shot beats Caoimhín Kelleher in the Liverpool goalCredit: GettyUnderstandably overcome by emotion, he had forgotten he was on a yellow card and gave John Brooks no option but to show the 21-year-old a second yellow.But as he trudged down the tunnel, that didn’t matter one bit. The Ivorian had cemented his name in folklore, fans were singing it with gusto, and the £37million signing from Atalanta had finally landed.”I think that is the best goal of my career,” a beaming Amad, who had been playing on an empty stomach while observing Ramadan, told ITV afterwards.Sunderland fans may argue he scored better when he starred at the Stadium of Light during the 2022-23 season.Read more Man Utd newsHowever, the joy on his face told the story of a man who has come a long way, and banished his past behind.Leaving Ivory Coast behindWhen he was 10, he left Abidjan behind with his brother and headed to Italy.They settled in Parma, where a young Amad would star for youth club Boca Barco.Following interest from a host of Serie A clubs, the youngster signed for Atalanta in 2015 and would develop into one of the most coveted players in European football.Most read in FootballBut in 2020, local authorities launched an investigation into how Amad arrived in Parma.Man Utd fans say ‘we’re going to be SCARY’ as forgotten man who has never played for Ten Hag returns to trainingIt was handed over to the Italian football federation (FIGC), who later revealed Amad and his brother were at the centre of a child trafficking ring.They alleged five adults smuggled Amad and his brother, Hamed Junior Traore, into Italy from their native Ivory Coast on a family visa.The fake documents claimed that Amad and Hamed, who is now a Bournemouth player, would be cared for by their apparent parents, Mamadou Hamed Traore and Marina Edwige Carine Teher.The FIGC alleged the two adults were not their parents, and even questioned if Hamed was Amad’s real brother.A carefully worded statement from the FIGC said that Amad had: “Allowed, in order to be able to enter into his first professional contract with Atalanta, on 11 July 2018, the use of the false name Traore Diallo Amad.”Other non-registered subjects (Traore Hamed Mamadou and Teher Marina Edwige Carine) carried out acts aimed at obtaining false or altered documents to circumvent the rules on entry into Italy and membership, as a non-EU citizen already residing in Italy.”It was found that they pretended to be the parent of the footballer, using false certificates attesting the relationship of kinship.”Finally, for himself, to obtain subsequent membership cards with companies affiliated with FIGC, continuing to use the false certifications that had allowed him to settle in Italy with fictitious parents.”Aspiring footballer Amad poses with Paul PogbaAtalanta gave Diallo his first team debut in 2019Credit: GettyMan Utd paid £37m to bring Amad to EnglandCredit: GettyThe case was concluded in 2021, after the FIGC accepted a plea bargain from the pair who were fined £42,000.Moving onTo distance himself from the scandal, the United winger changed his name and has just ‘Amad’ on the back of his No16 shirt now.Although his chances at the Theatre of Dreams have been limited, his progress hasn’t been hampered.It was on loan with the Mackems where he soon became a fans’ favourite.Before that an underwhelming loan at Rangers made many feel the gamble on an unproven talent who had appeared just four times for Atalanta before United spent big was money down the drain.A spell in the Championship was just what he needed to kickstart his career on our shores.Something seemingly clicked four months into his spell, when Amad scored three goals in five games in December, 2022.An underwhelming spell at Rangers in Scotland made many question if United had wasted their moneyCredit: Willie VassHowever, a loan spell at Sunderland would give him the confidence he neededCredit: GettyEx-Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray understood how to get the best out of AmadCredit: ReutersHis performances earned him the EFL Young Player of the Month award.He single-handedly propelled Sunderland into the playoff picture and was a handful for the opposition.Tony Mowbray got the best out of him, playing to his strengths and allowing him the licence to play a free role.It was fitting that when Mowbray was sacked earlier this season, Diallo sent his well-wishes on social media.In an Instagram story, alongside a photo of the manager, he wrote: “Thanks for having [helping] me a lot in my training. Good luck boss.”By the end of the 2022-23 season, Amad had scored 14 goals and managed 4 assists for the club in all competitions.The standout – a spectacular strike against Luton Town in the playoff semi-final – wasn’t enough to earn his side a spot at Wembley.Fittingly, he has done that with United who will face Coventry City next.READ MORE SUN STORIESAnd he might have just fired himself into Erik ten Hag’s first team plans now.But first, he must serve that pesky suspension in their next Premier League fixture against Brentford.Amad was unfortunately sent off after taking his shirt off celebrating his late winnerCredit: APAmad will now surely force Erik ten Hag’s hand in giving him more first team opportunitiesCredit: Rex More