Battle for Kane! England need star for seniors and under-21s but Spurs want him to rest

England coach Roy Hodgson rewarded Kane for his remarkable exploits for Tottenham by including him in his squad for the matches with Lithuania and Italy before insisting the striker should represent the Under-21s at the European Championships in June.

Tottenham want Kane to miss the tournament and rest following a breakthrough campaign, but are committed to a trip to the other side of the world after agreeing to play Sydney FC in a lucrative friendly in Australia on May 30.

Hodgson will leave Under-21s coach Gareth Southgate to pick his squad for the championships in the Czech Republic, but was unequivocal that Kane, who has plundered 26 goals this season, should play if selected.

"Personally speaking, playing for England at Under-21 level at a tournament is more important than a friendly," said Hodgson. "I would be very hypocritical if I didn't give that answer.

"This business about being tired - you've got to be very careful on that. He's played quite a lot of games, but he's not played any more than Wayne Rooney and Jordan Henderson and Joe Hart, Gary Cahill, and lots of other players.

"What you are really saying [to him] is that you are now actually a bona fide Premier League player. You're playing every week. You're one of the first names on the teamsheet which isn't always the case with these boys.

"Therefore, if he needs a rest, there's a great opportunity when the season ends before our Under-21s get together to give him a rest and you can't expect me in good faith to say, 'Oh no, I understand he shouldn't be resting for the Australia trip, he should be doing that and then resting when the Under-21s pitch up'.

"I can't go along with that. This is a marketing game as far as I can understand."

Hodgson said he will speak to Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, but the battle is one for Southgate to win as he looks to ensure his leading scorer from the qualifying campaign is available.

Kane will join up with England on Monday at St George's Park ahead of the Euro 2016 qualifier with Lithuania at Wembley next Friday, which is close to a sell-out, and the friendly with Italy in Turin the following Tuesday.

Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge was recalled after injury and Kane will be competing against him, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck for a starting berth.

"Breaking through and getting a foot on the ladder is one thing, it's climbing it which is a bit more difficult," said Hodgson. "Getting to the top is the easy part, staying there is the hard part."

Apart from Kane's inclusion, it was a low-key squad announcement with only two goalkeepers named in Joe Hart and Fraser Forster. Jack Butland will leave the Under-21s and join the seniors in the event of injury.

Youngsters Ross Barkley and Luke Shaw were included despite enduring difficult seasons for Everton and Manchester United respectively, but Hodgson believes in their qualities.

"If I think these guys could be very important in 2016, now is the time to show that confidence in them," he said.

It also emerged England's players have received video messages from Hodgson and his coaching staff, Ray Lewington and Gary Neville, in order to bridge the gap since their previous get-together last November.

Plans for the squad to meet for dinner in January were cancelled due to opposition from the clubs, but Andy Scoulding, the FA's performance analysis manager, has sent out tactical information to every member of the squad.

"I recorded a message," said Hodgson. "I did an introduction to each of these videos and then Gary and Ray did a talkover on the clips.

"I'm happy we have sent it out, happy we have done our job, I'm happy we are making it clear to them that you do wear two hats as a top-class international player.

"You can't ever forget your club side. But then if you want to play for England, and you want to be an England star, you can't forget England either.

"I don't want to start doing the Sherlock Holmes bit of finding out who has, and who hasn't, watched it."