Gareth Southgate will be contemplating dropping sluggish Harry Kane. And few fans would complain, writes DANNY MURPHY

I think Harry Kane doesn’t look his best physically as he missed the end of the season with back problems and like many overweight players it takes time to get back to full fitness. In the meantime he looks sluggish.

The dilemma for Gareth Southgate now is what to do with his captain and talisman for the semi-final. I think he got a bit lucky against the Swiss.

The substitutions against Switzerland were almost a forced decision for Gareth, as England fell behind and Kane had to be substituted after being pushed and suffering from cramp.

As space opened up, the game was already crying out for an Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney, long before Kane was actually substituted.

I don’t think there will be many complaints from fans if Kane is taken out of the starting line-up on Wednesday night and I’m sure Gareth will think about it.

But I still don’t think it will happen.

If, like Kane, you are your country’s top scorer and have won the Golden Boot, you have a lot of credit in the bank.

And in international football, where the margins between success and failure are so thin, they are often defined by individual moments from your best players.

Even though Kane underperformed at the European Championship, he still scored a few goals, earning us a draw against Denmark and the winning goal against Slovakia, in a team that struggles creatively and doesn’t provide many crosses.

Many would have replaced Jude Bellingham against Slovakia, but Gareth’s confidence was justified with a superb bicycle kick that equalised.

The manager has so much faith in Kane that he always trusts Kane to score the important goal regardless of his overall performance.

I would probably go with Kane in the semi-final, but that is not to give him a free pass. If he is not making an impact after an hour, don’t wait. Toney and Watkins are capable goalscorers in their own right and England are crying out for more energy and mobility at the top of the pitch.

Kane is not the only forward who is surprisingly under par. All the worries before a ball was kicked were about the defence. But we looked tight at the back and struggled to get forward. Every striker needs ammunition and we didn’t provide it.

At the moment we have been getting into the last four with little flashes of brilliance, with Bellingham in the first knockout game and Bukayo Saka having our first shot on target last night.

But Switzerland had the better chances in those 120 minutes and we will have to perform better as a team if we want to reach the finish line, unlike the narrow miss at the European Championship three years ago.

Kane was optimistic before the tournament. I think he felt really refreshed mentally after missing a few games, but the evidence we’ve seen is that the sharpness isn’t there. It’s happened before when he’s missed games for Tottenham and there was something sad about the England fans being happy to see him taken away after all he’s done for the country.

I felt for him because he doesn’t get the service of the full-backs, with Kieran Trippier on the left as a right-footer. But when he’s had a few decent balls, he hasn’t got them at the end. He looked tired.

Perhaps a fit and well-performing Luke Shaw could also help Kane on his way, but I think the manager needs to be more proactive.

If the game starts to drag out and screams for some pace, don’t be afraid to take Kane off. I don’t think anyone would rebel.

It’s a tough one for Gareth. He’s a loyal man and has complete faith in Kane, but that doesn’t mean he’s indelible.

Another change that I think needs to be made is Cole Palmer, who has been our most impactful player off the bench. His composure on the ball and willingness to take risks is exactly what England need. He has been incredibly unlucky not to start and I would find a way to get him in.