England manager Gareth Southgate has praised captain Harry Kane for his "real leadership" in understanding the decision to rest the forward against Belgium.

Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy started up front in Thursday's 1-0 defeat ahead of the Tottenham Hotspur forward, who was an unused substitute as the Three Lions finished second in Group G.

Southgate, who is expected to recall the attacker for Tuesday's last 16 tie with Colombia, added that the physical condition of his players is his priority going into next week's clash.

"[Kane] totally understood, 100 per cent team-first," the manager told Sky Sports News.

"He said 'look, I know everyone says I want the Golden Boot - of course it's something I want to do - but the main thing is getting the team through the first knockout'. He was excellent on that, showed real leadership and understanding of the big picture.

"The most important thing for me is the players are in the best physical condition for the game. I don't think mentally we lose anything, because they know we've made changes and they know Belgium weren't their full team as well."

Kane currently tops the World Cup scoring charts with five goals.