Three England players withdraw from squad but Harry Kane given all-clear
Harry Kane suffered an injury scare as Bayern Munich drew with Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend, handing interim England boss Lee Carsley a potential headache
by John Cross · The MirrorHarry Kane has been passed fit for England’s Nations League double header with Greece and Finland.
England captain Kane, 29, underwent a scan and medical checks after reporting up at St George’s Park following an injury scare with Bayern Munich. Kane suffered an ankle injury and also had treatment on a groin during his team’s 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
But Bayern reported that Kane had not suffered any serious damage and would be available to play for England. It is a major boost for England as they prepare to face Greece who are joint top of their Group.
Bayern said in a club statement: “ Harry Kane gets the all clear. Tests by the FA's medical staff confirm that Harry has no structural injury after being substituted in Sunday's match against Frankfurt.”
However, England interim boss Lee Carsley has suffered a treble injury blow with Morgan Gibbs-White, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo being forced to pull out. Gibbs-White suffered an injury during Nottingham Forest ’s draw at Chelsea while Mainoo also limped out of Manchester United ’s stalemate at Aston Villa.
Villa defender Konsa suffered a hamstring issue and boss Unai Emery said he would not be fit to report up. However, Carsley will not call up any reinforcements - having named a 25 man squad in case of injuries - but they will monitor developments.
The likes of Jarell Quansah are with the under-21s and could be promoted if needed but the expectation is the seniors have enough strength in depth. England host Greece at Wembley on Thursday before travelling to Helsinki to face Finland on Sunday.
HAVE YOUR SAY! How should England line up against Greece? Comment below.
Their opponents Greece have, like England, won their first two Group matches. Meanwhile, Greece top scorer Fotis Ioannidis, who netted three goals in his country's first two matches, suffered an injury at the weekend which could keep him out for the next few weeks.
Interim boss Carsley will be delighted that Kane has been passed fit, having made his importance to the team clear. Carsley is counting on the captain to help lead his squad in their upcoming October games.
"Harry is really important to us. He's a player who will always score goals. Sometimes with centre-forwards they're an easy target because they're the player you expect to deliver. He needs support and chances created for him," he said.
"His goal record at Bayern is outstanding and I can only go off what I saw in the last camp, when he was outstanding in the goals that he scored, the way he conducted himself and the way he trained. He's in a good place.
"There were a lot of players who were close to this squad. With the talent we have available, it would have been possible to pick a 40-man squad and justify having them all in. The challenge is making sure we pick a competitive squad and a squad that can win the two games."
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