England captain Harry Kane says defeat in the European Championships final and summer speculation over his Tottenham future took its toll on him mentally.
The Three Lions were beaten by Italy on penalties at Wembley, while Kane was linked with a move to Manchester City.
Kane also defended brother and agent Charlie’s role in the transfer saga.
“You go through the highs and lows of a major tournament, coming so close to a dream and it being taken away from you in such a quick moment,” he said.
“Then it was my first summer of transfer speculation and having to deal with those situations. So of course it takes a toll mentally on yourself but from my point of view, I’ve always had good friends and good family around me.
“Being able to talk to them in those situations. Being able to talk to people you trust. When things are difficult, it’s important that you do talk about it and not just hide it in and suck it up.
“But it is important that you have people around you that you can trust to do that. That’s what I’ve done.”
Kane’s brother’s Charlie was criticised for his role in the summer’s transfer speculation, with it reported the pair believed Kane had a gentleman’s agreement with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy that would allow him to leave the club.
But the 28-year-old says the siblings will always stick together and any outside interferences were just “noise”.
“Whatever the circumstance, whenever there is stuff being written about your family, it’s always maybe a little bit difficult to take, especially when it’s stuff that’s negative,” he said.
“But I think that’s when families really come together during those moments. Obviously I’m very close to my brother and my parents, my wife, her family, so there’s plenty of people that I know and trust and am able to talk to.
“It’s never easy when there is any negative story about yourself or someone you know, or your friends, or team-mates. In the summer, there was a lot of stuff about my brother, being my agent.
“That’s where we stick together. I know what he does for me as an agent, I know what he does for me as a brother and that’s all that matters.”
England host Albania in World Cup qualifying on Friday and Kane will be hoping to add to his nine goals for his county this year, though his domestic form has stuttered.
The striker has scored just once in 10 Premier League games this season but does not believe the summer transfer speculation is to blame.
“Well I think from my point of view it’s easy for people to try and look for an excuse when maybe you’re not on form or you’re not scoring as many as you usually do,” he said.
“That’s where it’s important kind of my own self-belief, my own mentality, just to work harder and that’s always been my approach.
“Whether I’m doing really well or the goals aren’t quite coming, it’s just to train hard, work hard for the team and that’s what I’ve done my whole career.”
