Harry Kane Brands FA Cup Tweet 'Silly,' Amid England Fitness Fear Claims

Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane has called a tweet from the FA Cup account mocking him "silly," while a report has emerged suggesting England are concerned about the striker's fitness. 

After Spurs lost to Manchester United in the semi-final of the FA Cup on April 21, the account posted a message saying "what's in your pocket?" accompanied by a clip of Chris Smalling saying "Harry Kane."

The FA apologised for the post, and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said it was "embarrassing," per BBC Sport. Speaking about the matter, Kane is keen to put the whole saga behind him at this juncture.

"I talked to the gaffer about it and all he was saying was, 'would other countries do that to their own players?' Probably not," he said, per BBC Sport. "… The FA tweet was a silly tweet, we all know that. It is something that has gone, it was two weeks ago or whatever it was, I am over it. The gaffer said I was sad about it, but I am focused."

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There have been some concerns about Kane's ankle after a recent layoff, and it's taken him a while to get up to full speed again. The England striker said he's feeling physically good ahead of the World Cup, though.

"The ankle is good," he said, per Adam Crafton of the Daily Mail. "It was good to score, and I had a couple of chances. I feel good. I am looking forward to the last three weeks."

However, according to Matt Hughes of The Times, there are fears from the England physios that the 24-year-old has been rushed back from the ankle problem he suffered in March, and that may hinder his performances in Russia.

In his piece, Hughes wrote: "England's medical staff are concerned that Harry Kane may have jeopardised his chances of being in peak physical condition at the World Cup by rushing back from injury too quickly last month.

"Kane has scored three goals in six appearances since returning, including Tottenham's second in their 2-0 win over Watford on Monday night, which has kept Mauricio Pochettino's side on course for a top-four finish, but his overall display was poor and many of his key performance indicators are significantly down on earlier in the season."

Kane has also been a figure of ridicule in recent weeks on social media. Not only did the FA jibe at him, the recent determination to see a goal against Stoke City awarded to himself at the expense of team-mate Christian Eriksen has also triggered jokes.

The Daily Mirror's John Cross suggested the criticism aimed at the striker has been over the top:

Meanwhile, former Arsenal and England forward Ian Wright said the jokes have become a little tiresome:

After netting against Watford in a 2-0 win on Monday, Kane spoke about why some England supporters may poke fun at their own players.

"It is strange, I think it is a mentality thing," he said. "It is easier these days to maybe banter England players or take the mick out of England players, if we don't do well in the (FIFA) World Cup it's, 'Oh we told you so'."

Kane is set to play a key part in England's charge at the World Cup this summer, as once again he's enjoyed a tremendous campaign, netting 27 Premier League goals.

While it's been a rocky patch for the striker recently, Goal reminded us after the Watford clash just how impressive he's been since bursting on to the scene:

Social media is unforgiving, especially when it comes to football fans. With that in mind, and given how high profile Kane now is, there was always going to come a spell when he was the butt of a few different jokes.

Now the Spurs man has had his say on the matter and made it clear he's looking to the future, talk of goals claimed and FA Cup tweets should die down. After all, if England are to make an impact at the summer spectacle in Russia, you feel a heavy goalscoring burden will fall on the shoulders of Kane.