Gareth Southgate saw no need to lift Harry Kane after the striker's penalty miss sent England out of the World Cup.
Kane missed a spot-kick late on against France in the quarter-finals, having previously beaten his Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris from 12 yards in a thrilling clash that Les Bleus won 2-1.
Yet that failure has not seemed to disrupt Kane's fine season with Tottenham. The 29-year-old has scored 10 goals since the season resumed, with his latest coming against Southampton on Saturday.
And Southgate never felt he had to "pick up the phone" to his captain, who matched Wayne Rooney as England's record goalscorer with his successful penalty against France.
"I don't think it's a big hurdle really," Southgate said of Kane, who has been named in England's squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
"I had a good chat with him while we were away. I sent him a message before he went back to his club and then I took a step back and had a look at how it was, and I haven't really felt the need to pick the phone up.
"It is there in his performances for Spurs. Sometimes you can busy yourself and look for a pat on the back by getting in touch with a player but I can't take any credit for what he's done."
Kane became Spurs' leading goalscorer in the club's history when he netted against Manchester City in February, surpassing the great Jimmy Greaves.
"What I've observed is a player still super-confident, still ready to perform, still hungry to score goals," Southgate continued.
"He's obviously gone through the personal landmark with Spurs and then there's this one that he's going to nail with us at some point.
"I actually spoke to him earlier this week, but I've been able to take a step back and let him get on with it. Sometimes there's no need to interfere."
Other players who have overcome a setback while on England duty to thrive at club level this season are Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Manchester United star Marcus Rashford.
Both enjoyed strong World Cups, having failed to score from the spot in the penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy in the final of Euro 2020.
Saka has scored 10 goals and assisted a further nine in the Premier League for leaders Arsenal, while Rashford has netted 27 times for United.
"[He] makes me smile. You feel a warmth," Southgate said of Saka.
"You feel a fabulous human being who has broken his way into the team at Arsenal at a time they weren't playing so well – and excelled. Now here they are pushing for the title – and he's excelling again.
"He's recovered from the obvious setback with us. He has the warmth of the fans with him who can see what he's about, can see the genuine nature of his personality.
"He's a top player. He's more and more of a goal threat, he's creating chances, he is totally reliable without the ball. He's a proper team player. I can't speak highly enough of him."
On Rashford, Southgate enthused: "You can see the confidence. He is benefiting from the environment at the club.
"He's in that flow that every player and athlete wants to be in. You can't remain in it forever and you have to try to get back into it when you are out of it, but he is definitely in that moment and he must feel super-confident."
Rumour Has It: Tottenham line up surprise move for Frankfurt boss Glasner
Tottenham and Antonio Conte appears set to part ways imminently following the Italian's explosive rant after their 3-3 draw with Southampton on Saturday.
Conte's Spurs contract is due to expire at the end of this season and he has been linked with a return to Italy to be closer to his family.
Spurs have been eliminated from the Champions League and FA Cup but remain firmly in the race to finish in the Premier League's top four, currently sitting fourth but fifth-placed Newcastle United are two points behind with two games in hand.
TOP STORY – SPURS TURN TO EINTRACHT BOSS IN SHOCK MOVE
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is looking to Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner as a potential replacement for Antonio Conte, according to Bild.
The report claims Spurs have already made contact with the Austrian's representatives about the surprise move.
Glasner is yet to sign an extension on his deal from Frankfurt which expires in 2024. Tottenham have Glasner in their sights, having led the Germans to the Europa League title last season.
ROUND-UP
– Manchester United and Newcastle United will battle it out to land the signature of Roma forward Paulo Dybala, reports Calciomercatoweb. The Argentinian is set to be available for a bargain price, given he has a release clause for overseas clubs to sign him for just £10.6million (€12m).
– Relevo claims Chelsea are working behind the scenes to make Joao Felix's loan stay at Stamford Bridge permanent beyond this season. The Portuguese joined the Blues in January on a six-month loan from Atletico Madrid, for whom he penned an extension until 2027 on the eve of that move.
– The Times claims Tottenham will demand £100m upfront for captain and star striker Harry Kane, who is out of contract in 2024. Manchester United have been linked with Kane, while Bayern Munich previously showed an interest, although that has reportedly waned.
– Juventus' pursuit of Chelsea's midfielder N'Golo Kante has been dealt a blow, with the Frenchman unlikely to leave Stamford Bridge, reports Tuttomercatoweb.
– Football Transfers claims Arsenal will look to tie down Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard on a long-term deal until 2030. His deal expires in 2025.
– Arsenal are interested in Salzburg's 22-year-old forward Noah Okafor, claims The Daily Mail. Tottenham and Milan are also keen on the Swiss talent.
Ratcliffe will not pay 'stupid prices' for Man Utd as bid deadline looms
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe insists he will not pay "stupid prices" for Manchester United as the latest bid deadline looms.
Incumbent owners, the Glazer family, tentatively put United up for sale in November and Ratcliffe was the first suitor to formally register an interest through his London-based chemicals company INEOS.
He was subsequently among the parties to submit initial bids ahead of a 'soft deadline' in February, with Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani thought to be the two frontrunners.
While the exact value of the bids is unclear, the Glazers are reportedly looking for at least $7.2billion (£5.9billion) if they are to sell, which would be a new world-record fee for a sports team. The club was valued at $4.8billion (£4billion) by Forbes last year.
Recent reports suggested the bidders are increasingly confident the Glazers will approve a sale, with Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim expected to submit formal offers this week.
But Ratcliffe has given the clearest indication yet that he will not pay over the odds.
Speaking about the process to the Wall Street Journal, Ratcliffe said: "How do you decide the price of a painting? How do you decide the price of a house?
"It's not related to how much it cost to build or how much it cost to paint.
"What you don't want to do is pay stupid prices for things because then you regret it subsequently."
The second deadline for offers is apparently set for Wednesday, with Sky Sports claiming there could be as many as eight official bids.
Ratcliffe, a life-long United fan, was spotted at Old Trafford last Friday following a meeting with club officials.
Associates of Sheikh Jassim are said to have been in Manchester the day before, though he himself was not in attendance.
Mitrovic charged as FA deems standard punishment 'clearly insufficient' after pushing referee
Aleksandar Mitrovic looks set for a lengthy ban after the Football Association (FA) claimed a "standard punishment" would be "clearly insufficient" after pushing the referee during Fulham's 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.
Mitrovic reacted aggressively after referee Chris Kavanagh awarded United a penalty for Willian preventing a likely Jadon Sancho goal with his hand when Fulham were 1-0 up.
Kavanagh was in the process of showing Willian a red card when Mitrovic approached him, with the Serbian shoving the official and getting in his face.
A straight red would ordinarily lead to a three-match ban, but it would appear the FA will attempt to suspend him for longer.
Fulham head coach Marco Silva was also sent off while play was paused following Willian's handball, and he could be in line for a significant ban as well.
An FA statement read: "Fulham, Marco Silva and Aleksandar Mitrovic have been charged following the incidents that took place in or around the 72nd minute of their tie against Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday, March 19.
"It's alleged that Marco Silva used abusive and/or insulting words and/or gestures and/or behaviour towards the match referee; that he used abusive and/or insulting words towards the fourth official prior to his dismissal; and that he also used abusive and/or insulting words and/or gestures and/or behaviour towards the fourth official after being sent off.
"It's further alleged that in throwing a water bottle in the direction of the assistant referee his behaviour was improper.
"The FA has claimed that the standard punishment which would otherwise apply to Aleksandar Mitrovic for the sending off offence of violent conduct that he committed towards the match referee is clearly insufficient.
"In addition, Aleksandar Mitrovic's behaviour and/or language was allegedly improper and/or abusive and/or insulting and/or threatening following his dismissal.
"It's also alleged that Fulham failed to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion."
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