Harry Kane said England's World Cup exit was the most painful near miss yet due to the manner of a semifinal collapse to Argentina, a defeat that "wasn't us as a team." The wounds from the agonising late loss remain raw as Thomas Tuchel's group reconvenes 10 weeks on for the start of their Nations League campaign. England's latest attempt to bounce back from heartbreak begins on Saturday at Wembley against Spain, who beat them in the last European Championship final.
Kane has spoken about the pain of such disappointments, saying it "stays with you" and must act as fuel as England players and staff try to find how they can be both better and themselves in the biggest moments. England will begin their Nations League campaign without a variety of players, with five withdrawals compounding existing injuries for the four-game meet-up. England's next match is against Spain at Wembley on Saturday.