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Harry Kane urges England to be braver at tournaments after U-21 flop

#INSERT type:image caption:Harry Kane and his teammates missed their chance to progress against Italy. END#

Harry Kane believes England players have to be more courageous if things are ever to improve for the country at major tournaments.

A year to the day since the senior team's dismal World Cup ended with a goalless group stage draw against Costa Rica, England's under-21s crashed out of the European Championship in the Czech Republic.

Gareth Southgate's men took on Italy with destiny in their own hands, but a 3-1 defeat in Olomouc led to a third successive group-stage exit.

"It's hard to say [why it happens], but that's what has got to change," Tottenham striker Kane said after the match. "Experiences like this can only help us.

"We've got to keep working on it and keep getting braver in the tournaments.

"We've got to start winning tournaments through all age groups up to the seniors, but probably we've got to look back at the games and what we could have done better."

He said England players needed to "forget about the pressure and expectation -- do what we do in qualification and don't falter in the groups.

"That happens over a period of time and hopefully we can get it right [at the European Championship in France] next summer," he added.

However, Kane said he was confident that an England team would soon get it right, explaining: "That is always the aim -- the dream to lift a trophy for England -- and it still is.

"No one can say we don't have the ability. We have amazing young talent coming through, amazing talent in the senior squad at the moment."

Goalkeeper Jack Butland told reporters that England "weren't good enough on the day," adding: "You've got to be ruthless at both ends of the pitch, our box and the other, and we weren't that.

"We haven't quite been that all tournament.

"You can play as well as you like between the posts -- that doesn't matter if you're not good enough at either end, and today we weren't."

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