England handed Harry Kane boost for Latvia trip but new injury confirmed | OneFootball

Three Lions captain back in training before Riga clash in which Thomas Tuchel’s side can officially seal World Cup finals berth

Harry Kane will be available for England’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia on Tuesday, but fellow striker Ollie Watkins has been ruled out.

Kane was named on the bench at Wembley but head coach Thomas Tuchel never intended to use him.

The England captain is back available for the match against Latvia after participating in England’s latest training session at Tottenham’s training centre on Monday morning.

Aston Villa striker Watkins, however, has dropped out of the squad after failing to overcome a knock he sustained against Wales when he collided with the post after missing a chance late in the first half. Marcus Rashford replaced him at half-time.

It is understood that Watkins’s injury is not serious and he may be in contention to feature in Villa’s Premier League trip to Tottenham on Sunday.

A replacement has not been named, with uncapped defender Jarell Quansah also returning to Bayer Leverkusen over the weekend due to injury.

A squad of 22 players will fly to Riga on Monday evening for the match against Latvia in which, following Group K rivals Albania’s win over Serbia in Belgrade on Saturday, England will officially seal qualification for next summer’s World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States with a fourth consecutive victory.

The friendly against Wales was the first match of Tuchel’s reign that Kane, England’s all-time leading scorer, had missed, and his first absence since last October’s shock 2-1 defeat by Greece in the Nations League under caretaker head coach Lee Carsley.