Lineker dismisses Maguire's Harry Kane World Cup goal-scoring claims as 'b*****ks'

Gary Lineker has flatly dismissed Harry Maguire’s comments about Harry Kane’s World Cup goal-scoring aspirations, calling them “b*ks” during a discussion on Netflix’s The Rest is Football podcast ahead of England’s Group L fixture against Ghana.

Kane arrived at the tournament in fine form, having already netted twice in England’s 4-2 opening victory over Croatia. The debate centred on whether the England captain could match the output of the tournament’s leading scorers — Lionel Messi, who has five goals for Argentina, and Kylian Mbappé, who has four for France, with Erling Haaland also on four for Norway.

Maguire had offered his own take on Kane’s mindset and his drive to compete with those names on the scoring charts, but Lineker was unconvinced, making his disagreement plain in characteristically direct fashion on the podcast.

England face Ghana on Tuesday night in their second Group L game, with Kane looking to add to his tally and keep pace with the tournament’s elite forwards.