HARRY KANE will represent England at this summer’s European Under-21 Championships, despite the Tottenham striker being set to make his first senior start in tomorrow’s friendly with Italy.

Gareth Southgate leads his Under-21 side into action against Germany at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium tonight, but Kane will not be involved as he has travelled to Turin with Roy Hodgson’s senior squad after scoring within the opening two minutes of his full international debut at Wembley on Friday night.

The 21-year-old’s goal against Lithuania led to inevitable questions about his summer schedule, with the European Under-21 Championships in the Czech Republic clashing with a senior double-header that will see Hodgson’s side play a friendly in the Republic of Ireland and a Euro 2016 qualifier in Slovenia.

Kane cannot be involved in both, but having previously received assurances from Hodgson that he would be able to pick the striker for his tournament squad, Southgate is confident that the weekend’s events will not have muddied the waters.

“It (his performance for the seniors against Lithuania) won’t make any difference,” said the Under-21 boss. “We were pretty clear that he probably wouldn’t start the game the other night.

“What happens against Italy remains to be seen, but Roy was very much of the view that we’re in a good position in the group, and he feels that for this group of players (in the Under-21s), the experience of going to the Czech Republic in the summer would be more beneficial than the two games he’s got.

“That’s regardless of what happens between now and then. We’re not short of good players in the seniors, although for Harry to be there this time was totally merited on form.

“But we still feel that we can give the players the best possible preparation to go into the seniors and be a success if they’ve been through the experience of the summer.”

Kane is understood to be enthusiastic about the chance to spearhead England’s assault on the European Championship at Under-21 level, with Hodgson having spoken extensively about the importance of gaining as much experience as possible in a tournament setting.

Six members of the Germany side that beat England in the final of the 2009 Under-21s Championship went on to feature in the squad that won the World Cup last summer, while the Spain team that triumphed at junior level in 2013 featured the likes of David De Gea, Thiago Alcantara and Isco.

“It’s not always easy to come back to under-21 level, although that can depend on what type of game it is,” said Southgate. “I don’t think it will be an issue for an Under-21 Championship.

“I put together a montage for the players from the last tournament, and you have people like (Marco) Veratti and Isco, who came to even greater prominence because of what they did with the Under-21s. That’s the level you’re talking about, and I don’t think any of our guys are bigger than those two in terms of where they are at this moment in time.”

While Kane will not be involved on Teesside tonight, John Stones and Callum Chambers could both feature despite having been part of senior squads earlier in the season.

The defensive duo are both expected to make the squad for the Czech Republic, and whereas in the past a move back into the Under-21s from the seniors might have been regarded as a regressive step, now it is considered a desirable part of a player’s development.

“Roy is very keen for a pathway to be there, so he’s been quite bullish in terms of playing younger players,” said Southgate. “That’s certainly worked for a lot of them, but we’ve also been prepared to say, ‘Okay, you step up for a game or two, but if you’re not playing and not starting, then there’s still some learning you can do with the Under-21 team’.

“This time, John and Callum have come back to us, and the games are still valuable for them. If you speak to the players, they know they’re coming into a group where the level of training is very high, and the matches against top Under-21 teams are very strong.

“None of these guys are the finished article. They’re at a very good level, but there’s still some game understanding and individual improvement to take place. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to do that slightly under the radar of the seniors, where every mistake is really crucial.”