England captain Harry Kane gives a definitive answer on whether he will be fit to represent his country this month after coming off injured in Bayern Munich's Bundesliga win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
England captain Harry Kane has given a definitive answer on whether he will be fit to represent his country this month after coming off injured in Bayern Munich's Bundesliga win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Tottenham Hotspur legend continues to smash records left, right and centre in the German top flight, as he struck the champions' second goal in their 3-0 success over Frankfurt on Saturday.
Kane is now the first player in Bundesliga history to score as many as 11 goals in his first six games of the season, but he came off slightly prematurely in the 85th minute due to an apparent foot injury.
The 32-year-old was seen with tape and an ice pack on the affected area following the game, sparking concern that he might not be available for England's upcoming matches against Latvia and Wales.
However, speaking to reporters after the game, Kane played down the injury as a contact issue and insisted he would be fine to join up with his international teammates later this month.
Kane plays down injury fears amid England concerns
"I'm okay. It was a contact to the bone. I had it a few weeks ago, and it was in the same spot today. A few days and it'll be fine," talkSPORT quotes Kane as saying.
When asked whether he would be able to travel to St George's Park on Monday to link up with his Three Lions teammates, the striker replied: "Yes, I'll be there on Monday."
Kane is therefore expected to spearhead an England squad missing some notable names this month, none more so than Jude Bellingham, whom Tuchel omitted despite his return to fitness from a shoulder injury.
The German also overlooked Manchester City's Phil Foden and resurrected Everton winger Jack Grealish for his latest camp, as well as Crystal Palace duo Adam Wharton and Tyrick Mitchell.
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka earned a recall after battling back from a hamstring concern, though, while John Stones is also back in the ranks for the upcoming internationals.
How many points do England need to qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
England boss Tuchel felt no need to disrupt the harmony of a squad who collected maximum points from fixtures with Andorra and Serbia last month, wins that left the Three Lions with 15 points from a possible 15 in World Cup 2026 Qualifying Group K.
The Euro 2024 runners-up are seven points clear of second-placed Albania with three games to go, while also sitting eight better off than Serbia, who have a game in hand.
Latvia and Andorra are also out of first-placed contention, and Albania will also be unable to catch England if they can take three points against Latvia on October 14.
Serbia can still obtain a maximum of 19 points, but if they fail to beat both Andorra and Albania this month, England will qualify for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare by beating Latvia.
Before travelling to Riga for that potential first place-clinching game, England host Wales in an international friendly at Wembley on October 9.
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Ben Knapton