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Harry Kane has scored 74 goals in his 109 appearances for England.
England captain Harry Kane is set to miss Thursday’s friendly match against Wales due to a minor injury.
The 32-year-old was absent from training after sustaining an ankle injury during Bayern Munich’s 3-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
The England camp anticipates that their all-time leading goalscorer will recover in time to face Latvia in a World Cup qualifier next Tuesday.
Manager Thomas Tuchel stated, “Harry will be unavailable for the game. He received a knock in his previous match, and the pain makes it too difficult and risky for him to kick the ball.
“We are providing him with the opportunity to rest and recover, and we are confident that he will be ready for the Latvia match.”
Tuchel confirmed that either Jordan Henderson, John Stones, or Declan Rice will assume the captaincy at Wembley in Kane’s absence.
England’s last encounter with Wales was a 3-0 win at the 2022 World Cup, and Tuchel anticipates a challenging contest.
“We expect an emotional and intense atmosphere, reminiscent of a derby,” Tuchel commented.
“I can imagine what Craig Bellamy is telling his players; they will want to maximize their role as underdogs.
“I assure you that we will not underestimate them. We are aware of their well-coached setup and know that we must maintain full focus to prevent them from showcasing their quality. The more emotional and intense the match, the better.”
With Thursday night’s game being a friendly and World Cup qualification appearing likely, Kane’s injury is not considered a major concern for Tuchel.
However, England’s reliance on Kane is undeniable. The captain holds the record for 74 goals in 109 appearances, while the rest of the current squad has collectively scored 53 goals.
Kane has accounted for 26.4% of all England goals since his debut in 2015, with Raheem Sterling – whose last cap was during the 2022 World Cup – being the only other player to score 20 goals in that timeframe.
Within Tuchel’s squad, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins appears to be the most likely candidate to step up on Thursday. Watkins regularly replaced Kane from the bench during last summer’s Euros, notably scoring the winning goal against the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
Watkins has scored five goals for England in 19 appearances but has only scored once for Villa this season.
Marcus Rashford is another option. The Manchester United forward, currently on loan at Barcelona, prefers to play from the left but has experience playing centrally.
He has 18 goals for England – the most after Kane in the current squad.
Anthony Gordon has featured in a central role for Newcastle and excelled in that position for the England Under-21s when they won the Euros in 2023, but he has just one goal in 14 appearances.
Outside of Tuchel’s current squad, Ivan Toney played against Senegal in June and is available but playing in Saudi Arabia, while Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke is injured and has only won three caps.
Chelsea signed Liam Delap this summer after an impressive season with Ipswich, but the 22-year-old is out with a hamstring injury and is yet to be called up to the senior squad.
The top English goalscorer in the Premier League so far this season is Burnley’s uncapped winger Jaidon Anthony, who has four.
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