The young Liverpool midfielder was part of the Young Lions squad that reached the quarter-finals of the European Championship in May. Despite defeat to Russia in the last eight, they went on to overcome Spain on penalties in a play-off to seal their spot at the showpiece which will be held in Chile this October.
The draw for the tournament was made this week, with England placed in Group B with Guinea, Brazil and South Korea, and Kane says he will be striving hard to win a spot in Neil Dewsnip’s squad.
“We showed in Bulgaria that we can play a number of different formations and styles. We didn’t do as well as we wanted to at the Euros, but we achieved qualification for the World Cup which was one of our targets,” he told TheFA.com.
England's 2015 World Cup fixtures
England v Guinea
Saturday 17 October
England v Brazil
Tuesday 20 October
South Korea v England
Friday 23 October
“It’s a massive incentive to work towards, and not many 17 or 18-year-olds get the chance to play at a tournament like that. It would be an unbelievable experience to be involved with.
“And it’s in South America, which makes it a little bit more special. But I’m not taking anything for granted, I know the effort that I need to put in to try and impress the manager and be selected.”
At the beginning of last season Kane found himself out of the starting XI as England began their Euro qualifiers. Not to be deterred, he battled back and played every minute at the Euros in Bulgaria - an experience he will never forget.
“It hurt me when I was dropped for the first qualifier because I wanted to play and win every game. I was involved in the next two games, and I just wanted to show what I could do from then on and stay in the team,” he said.
“I knew I had to do a job, and I wanted to perform like I had been for Liverpool for my country. I had obviously been doing something there that England had liked and I wanted to show what I could do at the European Championship.
“We played against some top players and I recognised a few from when I’ve been abroad with Liverpool. It’s always good to compete and compare yourself against the best players in Europe.
England defeated Spain on penalties to qualify for Chile
“If the Euros taught me one thing it was to be more clinical, both personally and as a team. We dominated most of the games but we needed to finish more chances, that is what cost us really.”
On featuring for every second at the tournament, he added: “It was unexpected. I thought someone else might have got a chance but obviously I was happy to play every minute. I thought I handled it quite well and learnt a lot.
“I felt I did ok in Bulgaria, it was a good test and I tried my hardest, but you can always do better.
“I’ve been working hard on the discipline of my play, and especially at international level, you have to be good on the defensive side of your game. I try to be positive in the way I play, getting assists and goals, and I always put a lot of work ethic into the team.
“But you can get caught out a lot more if you are just bombing forward all the time so you have to be disciplined.”
