England interim boss Gareth Southgate has revealed that he will monitor Harry Kane’s fitness before deciding on whether or not to start the Tottenham man in the upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifier.
The 23-year-old made his return to action this weekend after being sidelined with an ankle injury since September, and scored from the penalty spot to secure a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
Given that he has only just returned though, it is unsurprising that Southgate will have to consider whether or not he is fit to start against Scotland on Friday, with Spurs likely to be in contact with the England staff too to keep a close eye on their striker’s progress in training.
“I think the first thing we have to do with Harry is check how he is after yesterday,” Southgate said, as reported by Sky Sports.
“Of course we have a big game ourselves and will have to see what level he’s at when he reports. But it was great to see him back and scoring and with a smile on his face at the end of the game.”
Meanwhile, that isn’t the only issue that Spurs will have to deal with over the international break as defender Ben Davies has pulled out of the Wales squad with an ankle injury of his own, as noted by Sky Sports.
The versatile ace picked up the issue last week against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and missed this weekend’s north London derby.
His absence will be a huge blow to Chris Coleman considering his track record of playing a three-man defence, but Spurs will now have to monitor his progress over the next fortnight to determine how serious the knock is and whether or not he’ll be available for selection after the break.