Callum Wilson is ready to lead the line for England in the Uefa Nations League Finals this week if Harry Kane is struggling for fitness.
Kane returned from an ankle injury to play the entire 90 minutes of Tottenham’s Champions League Final defeat against Liverpool on Saturday — his first game in 53 days.
He faces a quick turnaround, with England’s semi-final against Netherlands on Thursday in Portugal.
Along with the other eight Spurs and Liverpool players involved in the Champions League Final, Kane will be assessed by the medical team at St George’s Park and speak with manager Gareth Southgate.
The squad fly to Portugal on Wednesday, so the 25-year-old will have a maximum of two training sessions to prove his wellbeing. But if he is unable to lead the line, then Bournemouth striker Wilson is ready to step up.
“If I didn’t have confidence in myself and the manager didn’t have confidence in me, I wouldn’t be here,” Wilson told Standard Sport.
“I am quite a confident person, which has got me to this point in my career.
“I have no doubt that I can do it on the international stage. Having scored on my debut, it put any self-doubt to bed.
"So if called upon, I know I can play well and I wouldn’t be doing anything different to what I would usually do in club football. Just be myself, stay relaxed and play my own game.”
Wilson, who scored 15 goals for Bournemouth this season, has risen through the leagues after making his debut with Coventry and scored on his England bow in November last year against the US.
Prior to that, the 27-year-old had been forced to watch on like any other supporter, including during the World Cup in Russia last year.
He added: “Last summer, I was sitting at home with an England hat on, celebrating goals, wishing the team on, just like any football and England fan.
"The manager and the team have got a great thing going on, so to come in was obviously a great thing for myself.
