Harry Kane has received the go-ahead to represent England after a recent injury scare, but Ezri Konsa, Kobbie Mainoo, and Morgan Gibbs-White have been excluded from the Nations League lineup. The England captain was substituted in the 72nd minute of Bayern Munich’s 3-3 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, shortly after receiving treatment following a collision with Brazilian defender Tuta. Kane traveled directly to St George’s Park, where Football Association doctors examined him. The 31-year-old striker is now expected to play against Greece on Thursday and Finland on Sunday.
A Bayern statement confirmed: “The examination by the England football team medical staff has revealed that Harry Kane does not have a structural injury. The FC Bayern striker, who was substituted in the Bundesliga match at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday evening, will therefore remain with the England squad for the upcoming internationals.” This marks the second injury concern for Kane in recent weeks, as he was previously a major doubt for the Aston Villa match last Wednesday due to an ankle issue sustained in a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
Kane is one of three center-forwards in the squad, alongside Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke, who returns to the international setup after seven years, for England’s match against Greece at Wembley, followed by a trip to Helsinki to face Finland. England’s interim head coach, Lee Carsley, has decided against calling up any replacements after the FA confirmed that Konsa, Mainoo, and Gibbs-White have all withdrawn from international duty due to injury.
“The trio all sustained injuries for their respective clubs over the weekend and have been ruled out of the Three Lions’ Uefa Nations League fixtures against Greece and Finland,” an FA statement read. “All other 22 players are at St George’s Park with no further additions planned at this time.” Defender Konsa started in England’s most recent outing, a 2-0 home win over Finland, while Mainoo played 77 minutes in Carsley’s first match in charge, a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. Manchester United released a statement on Monday indicating that Mainoo has been “managing an issue” since being forced out with injury in the defeat by Tottenham last month, although he did subsequently play in the draw with Aston Villa.
