Tottenham Hotspur and England captain Harry Kane said on Friday that Premier League players have received "unfair criticism" for not accepting pay cuts during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

"We've shown we're doing everything we can to help support the [National Health Service], charities and everyone who is struggling during this pandemic," Kane said to BBC 5 Live. "We came under a bit of scrutiny and probably unfair criticism at times."

In April, Premier League players launched a "collective initiative" to raise money for the NHS.

"From delivery drivers to care workers and doctors to shop workers, they have been amazing," Kane said of frontline workers. "Everyone is doing so much work behind the scenes that not everyone sees."

Personally, the 26-year-old striker says he's still recovering from the hamstring injury that kept him out of action since Jan. 1. Kane believes it would have been a challenge to be ready for the Euro had it not been postponed until 2021.

"I wouldn't have had as many games as I would have liked or as much training as I would have liked to really get to my highest level," Kane said. I'm trying to take the positives. This period has given me a chance to recover a bit more.Before lockdown I was at the stage where I was pretty much doing everything except training with the team.The last week or so I have been able to do one-on-one training with one coach on the pitch. It's a case of getting that feeling back and doing a lot of individual training and finishing."

Kane also revealed that he's been in contact with Spurs and England teammate Dele Alli following his assault at the hands of an intruder earlier this week.

"He was a little bit in shock and angry at the situation," Kane said of Alli. "It's definitely scary and hits home a bit more when it's one of your friends."