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Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney can form perfect partnership, says Phil Thompson

Phil Thompson believes Harry Kane can form the perfect partnership with Wayne Rooney up front for England.

England captain Wayne Rooney is replaced by Harry Kane
Image: Harry Kane replaced Wayne Rooney on Friday night

Phil Thompson believes Harry Kane can form the perfect partnership with Wayne Rooney for England, starting with Tuesday night's clash in Italy.

In-form Tottenham striker Kane has been handed his first start by Roy Hodgson after scoring within 79 seconds of his international debut against Lithuania on Friday night.

That effort added to the 29 he has scored for his club this season, including 19 in the Premier League, a tally which Thompson feels warranted a starting spot on Friday night.

"I think there are other systems that can work and some might say Rooney's too similar, but Rooney dovetailing off him (Kane) would be an ideal partnership," Thompson told Sportinglife.com.

"Some say he should have started and I’d agree with that, given the way he’s been playing for Tottenham.

"He deserved to start against Lithuania and you’d expect him to against Italy."

However, Thompson fears that the friendly in Turin could lack a competitive edge, with both nations having played European Qualifiers on Friday.

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I think there are other systems that can work and some might say Rooney's too similar, but Rooney dovetailing off him (Kane) would be an ideal partnership.
Phil Thompson

He added: "It’s certainly a bigger test than anything England have faced since the World Cup but both sides will rotate heavily.

"With it being a friendly and the second game after competitive fixtures, then both managers will have promised club managers that they won’t use players fully.

"In that sense, it won’t be a full-blown international but any game against Italy is always a tough one."

THOMPSON'S BEST BET: Kane to score first in 1-1 draw at 35/1!

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