Lee Carsley has made an urgent appeal to England captain Harry Kane, who is now fit and ready for action. Carsley confirms that after two days of full training, Kane is ready to face Finland, as England desperately seek a victory to reverse their Nations League fortunes.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has returned to his club for treatment following a hamstring injury, which saw him sidelined during the catastrophic defeat to Greece at Wembley on Thursday night.
Carsley’s chances of getting the job could hinge on England winning their Nations League group, making the match against Finland a must-win game.
Interim England boss Carsley has experimented with Jude Bellingham in the false nine role, but admits record-breaking Kane has proven “irreplaceable” over the years.
Carsley also confirmed that Jack Grealish is fit after missing the Greece game, saying: “They both trained on Friday, they trained today, so fitness-wise everything is good. “
When asked what Harry brings to the team, Carsley replied: “After watching the games he has played and the influence he has on the team, he leads by example, c “He’s a very good captain, a very positive person to be around.”
“We always have that when we have something really good in front of us: we’re always looking for the next big thing.
“But I think we should enjoy what we have in front of us with Harry. His goals speak for themselves, what he has done in the past should be massively respected and I think he has a lot of games left and goals in him, hopefully.”
Asked if Kane, who has a record 68 goals in 100 caps, remained indispensable, Carsley said: “He’s proven that in the past with the impact he’s had. His goalscoring record for England, Bayern and Tottenham is brilliant and something we should really appreciate.”
Carsley also revealed that Saka hopes to be ready for Arsenal’s next clash against Bournemouth on Saturday, despite his early exit from the Greece game at Wembley.
England’s medical team were optimistic that Saka might have been fit for the Finland match but, having played three days previously, they decided not to risk his fitness, which left him prevented from traveling to Finland with the rest of the team.
Carsley added: “Bukayo would have been close but it would have been unfair to take a risk with him. He’s a positive person and I expect him to be fine.”