Harry Kane is out of England’s friendly against Wales on Thursday with an injury, but Thomas Tuchel says he is “convinced” his captain will be fit to face Latvia on Tuesday.
Kane, who is his country’s all-time leading scorer, will miss an England game for the first time in Tuchel’s tenure, having previously scored in all but one of the German’s six matches in charge.
On Wednesday, Kane and Jarell Quansah — also unavailable against Wales — worked on individual indoor training at St George’s Park, so missed the main training session with the other 22 members of Tuchel’s squad.
In Kane’s absence, it is expected that Tuchel will select Ollie Watkins, Marcus Rashford or Jarrod Bowen to lead the line in the friendly at Wembley.
“Harry will miss the game,” he said on Wednesday evening. “He got a kick in his last match with Bayern Munich.
“It was too painful to kick a ball. It was too risky that he gets another kick and will just be in an up and down situation, pain-wise. We gave him a chance that everything calms down.
“We are convinced that he will be ready for the match against Latvia.”
Tuchel, asked who would skipper the side against Wales, replied: “The options as captains will be one of Jordan Henderson, John Stones or Declan Rice.
“There is a huge chance we would have started with the same [team as against Serbia] if the same squad had been available.
“It’s a good thing that we have tough choices to make. The competition is on. I’m not surprised that I am questioned about my decisions. That is the nature of the job.”
