England boss Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Harry Kane will not play in England’s friendly against Belgium on Tuesday, March 26.
Despite being called up, the former Tottenham star’s ankle injury will keep him sidelined for the match.
Harry Kane missed Saturday’s game which saw Brazil defeat England 1-0 and he’s considered ‘extremely doubtful’ for the upcoming friendly.
Kane’s injury occurred during a match for Bayern Munich, when Kane collided with a goalpost in victory over Darmstadt last Saturday, March 16.
The Bayern Munich forward has been receiving treatment and missed training sessions as a result of the injury.
Meanwhile, the manager of the Three Lions, Southgate has confirmed that Kane will not be playing in the upcoming international matches and will instead return to his club side, Bayern Munich, for treatment.
Southgate stated, after seeing his side lose the first of their four preparation games for the European Championships this summer: “Kane will go back. He won’t be ready for Tuesday.”
Shortly after Southgate’s confirmation, Bayern released a statement which read: “Harry Kane will return early from the English national team to FC Bayern to receive further treatment in Munich.”
Despite this setback, Henderson and Palmer trained successfully and are expected to join the rest of the squad for training tomorrow according to the coach.
However, England felt the absence of their captain during the challenging match against Brazil as most of their opportunities came from set pieces and they struggled to test the new goalkeeper, Bento.
Once again, they will need to make do on Tuesday, March 26 with Southgate looking for a better performance despite missing some key players due to injury.
Ollie Watkins filled in for the injured Harry Kane, missing a crucial opportunity in the first half.
Kyle Walker began as captain but handed over the armband to Harry Maguire after sustaining an injury.
Ivan Toney who happens to be the only other true striker in the squad might have the opportunity to start on Tuesday, although Rashford and Gordon could also play centrally if needed.
Southgate said of Watkins and Toney before the game with Brazil: “That’s a decision we’ll have to make, number nine is a specialist position,’ ‘They have different attributes.”
”It will depend on injuries in other positions and players who can play in more than one role. Both are aware the opportunity is a big one. They both are in good form and have had time with us. Ollie has done well and Ivan has had the impact we expected him to.”
What’s next for Harry Kane?
Bayern Munich doctors will evaluate Harry Kane’s condition before determining if he can participate in the crucial Bundesliga match against Dortmund on March 30.
As it stands, the former Tottenham striker will not be involved in England’s team friendlies until the upcoming European Championships in Germany.
