Kane insists England are 'completely together' before World Cup

England captain Harry Kane has insisted the squad is “completely together” ahead of their World Cup semi-final against Argentina, dismissing suggestions of division after Jude Bellingham questioned manager Thomas Tuchel’s assessment of their performance against Norway.

England secured a place in the final four with a draining 2-1 win against Norway in the Miami heat on Saturday. They now face a match in Atlanta on Wednesday (20:00 BST) against the defending world champions, who saw off Switzerland 3-1.

Tuchel's criticism and Bellingham's response

Speaking on the pitch straight after the Norway match, Tuchel said England “got lucky” and that he was “not happy” with his side’s performance in “every sense”. When asked about his manager’s comments, Bellingham replied: “Yeah, well, whatever. It's difficult out there - it's a tough shift.”

Speaking to BBC Sport on Monday, Kane said the England camp is far from divided. “When you are playing a game like that and to be asked a question five minutes after the final whistle, and he didn't really know what had been said, what do you want Jude [Bellingham] to say?” Kane said. “We had just been through a battle. It is easy to try and create this division - it seems like an English thing to do at these major tournaments.

“But it is the complete opposite. The group is where we are because of our complete togetherness - not just the players, the coach and the staff. Things sometimes get made out to be more than they are.”

Kane defends Tuchel's managerial style

Tuchel’s managerial style is different to that of his predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate, but Kane said that is not a bad thing. “He [Tuchel] wears his heart on his sleeve and people appreciate that. When he talks, it is never scripted. That is what makes him who he is.

“When it just comes natural you believe in that, you believe in what he is saying, you believe in his approach. He is one of the best managers in the world for a reason. We understand it. Over the past two years we have got to know him and know what makes him happy.”

O'Reilly relishes chance to face Messi

Standing between England and a second World Cup final appearance is Lionel Messi’s Argentina, and left-back Nico O’Reilly is relishing the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to face the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. It will be the first time Messi has faced England, and at 39, it could be the last. Manchester City defender O’Reilly has never faced him at club level either.

“I can't wait,” O’Reilly, who will probably have to defend against Messi one-on-one if he starts at left-back, told BBC Radio 5 Live. “It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He's coming towards the end of his career. For me personally, he's the best player to ever touch a football pitch. And yeah, I can't wait for the challenge.”

Messi began the tournament with a hat-trick in a 3-0 win against Algeria as he became the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, equalling Miroslav Klose’s record of 16, which had stood since 2014. The Argentina captain has since scored five more to take that record - his total of eight goals putting him joint-first with France’s Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race, and taking his career World Cup tally to 21.

Pickford warns against focusing only on Messi

While Messi is Argentina’s main threat, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford warned against ignoring the other talents in Lionel Scaloni’s side. “He has scored so many goals and contributed to so many over his career. It's great to finally come up against him after so long, and watching him as a kid,” Pickford told media at England’s training base in Kansas on Monday.

“We all know how good Messi is but we also know how good Argentina are. We can't solely rely on [stopping] Messi. We've got to focus on their other strengths and the weaknesses we can take advantage of.”

The winner of the semi-final will face either France or Spain - who play each other on Tuesday (20:00 BST) - in the World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, 19 July (20:00 BST).