England will take on the Netherlands in the Nations League finals this week and this game is a real cause of concern for Gareth Southgate.
The match comes just a few days after the UEFA Champions League final where a large number of England players were involved.
The likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Jordan Henderson all featured in the UCL final and they are once again likely to play vs the Netherlands in the Nations League.
And now it is a major point of debate whether players can last the whole game in the Nations League.
Harry Kane has been a particular point of concern for Southgate since the forward had been sidelined with a knee injury for almost a month and they returned in the UCL final to make a very poor show.
This has led many to believe that the England captain is not fit enough to play in the Nations League game and he will start the game on the bench.
Now though, reports are claiming that Kane will declare himself fit for the game vs the Netherlands this week.
As per the Telegraph, “Harry Kane is set to tell England manager Gareth Southgate that he is fit to play in this week’s Uefa Nations League finals, despite his rusty Champions League final display.
“England captain Kane was due to report for international duty at St George’s Park on Monday night – three days before the Nations League semi-final against Holland in Portugal.”
It is surely great news for Southgate but still, some experts believe that the Three Lions boss is better off not handing a start to Harry Kane especially after his muted performance vs Liverpool in the Champions League final this past weekend.
Marcus Rashford might very well be handed a start this week in the Nations League final with Harry Kane coming on only if needed.
Here’s England’s 23-man squad for the Nations League finals:
Goalkeepers:
Jack Butland (Stoke City), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders:
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Leicester City), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Michael Keane (Everton), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders:
Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Ross Barkley (Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Declan Rice (West Ham)
Forwards:
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Callum Wilson (Bournemouth)
