Gareth Southgate to have heart-to-heart with Harry Kane before making decision over England captain’s fitness for the Nations League finals
- Gareth Southgate will have a conversation with Harry Kane on Monday night
- Kane returned to action in Saturday’s Champions League final defeat by Spurs
- Southgate wants to be sure of the striker’s physical and emotional well-being
- England take on Holland in the Nation’s League semi-final on Thursday
Gareth Southgate will hold heart-to-heart talks with Harry Kane on Monday night before making a final decision on his captain’s fitness for the Nations League finals.
The England manager will meet all the players who featured in the Champions League and Europa League finals.
Southgate wants to be sure of his players’ physical and emotional well-being before finalising his team for Thursday’s clash with Holland.
Gareth Southgate (L) will hold heart-to-heart talks with Harry Kane on Monday night
Kane returned to action in Saturday’s Champions League final but didn’t look fully fit
The likes of Kane, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who all played 90 minutes in the Champions League final, will be put through rigorous medical checks by England staff when they report for international duty at St George’s Park.
Sportsmail understands Liverpool and Tottenham will allow England staff access to the performance reports of individuals from Saturday’s clash, which will play a role in determining the fitness of the players.
The FA were confident last night that everyone involved in the Champions League final came through the match without fresh injuries.
But Kane’s fitness and apparent lack of match sharpness will give Southgate a dilemma heading into Thursday’s semi-final in Guimaraes.
Southgate wants to be sure of the England striker’s physical and emotional well-being
Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to start his talisman following a seven-week absence with an ankle injury backfired as Kane was expertly shackled by Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk — who will be at the heart of Holland’s rearguard on Thursday.
England boss Southgate already had doubts over Kane’s fitness but, speaking last month, he insisted that the player’s goalscoring record for England — 22 goals in 37 caps — meant that he would be treated as a special case.
If Southgate decides to put Kane on the bench, a front three of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho will likely start against Ronald Koeman’s men. All those involved in European finals will report for England duty this evening. They will have two full training sessions before departing for Portugal on Wednesday.