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If Harry Kane misses, who should England turn to against the US? CHRIS SUTTON breaks down the four Plan B options that Gareth Southgate will consider… with Callum Wilson, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford hoping to get in
- Harry Kane faces a race against time to be fit for the England v USA meeting
- The Three Lions captain sustained an ankle injury in Monday’s victory over Iran
- Sportsmail’s Chris Sutton has been reviewing England’s Plan B options in his absence
- Callum Wilson is the most likely candidate to replace Kane on offense
- But Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling could also play central
- Click here for the latest World Cup 2022 news, schedules, live action and results
England boss Gareth Southgate has been sweating over captain Harry Kane’s fitness ahead of Friday’s game against the US.
While initial scans seem to suggest he suffered no major ankle damage in Monday’s opening World Cup win against Iran, Kane faces a race against time to be fit for England’s second appearance.
Southgate now has a big decision ahead of Friday’s game. Either he trusts his medical team’s assessment and re-purposes Kane as his focal point in the attack, or he errs on the side of caution and rests his star striker for more crucial evenings.
England captain Harry Kane faces a race against time to be fit for Friday’s game against the US
Kane suffered an ankle injury in England’s opening World Cup win against Iran on Monday
So if he chooses the latter option, who can England turn to in Kane’s absence?
Sports mail‘s CHRIS SUTTON has looked at the four Plan B options Southgate has in attacking the US and assessed which would be most effective on Friday night.
The most obvious solution for Gareth Southgate would be to bring Callum Wilson on top
Wilson was included in Southgate’s squad as a backup option to Kane
Striker for striker. There have been a few games in England where Harry Kane didn’t start and overall Gareth Southgate has gone with a like-for-like substitution.
Tammy Abraham took his place against Italy. Against Ivory Coast it was Ollie Watkins. Against Andorra it was Patrick Bamford. None of them are at this World Cup, but Callum Wilson is – and he was brought to Qatar so he could play in this scenario.
If Kane is not fit, Wilson is there to replace him. They are different players, of course – Kane is almost irreplaceable.
But Wilson is fast and physical and has a good scoring instinct. He would be the obvious choice.
Marcus Rashford could also operate in a more central attacking role
When Marcus Rashford came on against Iran, he was used wide and scored after a nice break from Kane. That must have done wonders for Rashford’s confidence.
He has been used as a striker for Manchester United, but the 25-year-old has said playing on the left is his preferred position. Nevertheless, Rashford will do what Southgate asks of him.
Hell, the England manager could ask me to hand out the oranges before half time and I would.
Rashford is fast. If the USA pushes up the field, as they did in that first half against Wales, his pace could prove useful. Rashford is not a bad option, but Wilson is the most likely choice.
Rashford is fast and that pace could be useful against the US if they go high up the field
Phil Foden has been used as a false nine by Man City on occasion and could fit in there too
Southgate is lucky to have players who are versatile, giving him options if he wants to go in a different direction than a traditional striker.
We’ve seen Phil Foden used as a false nine for Manchester City in the pre-Erling Haaland days, acting as a creative link between Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez. Kane likes to get involved in the build-up and Foden isn’t bad at that either.
He’s neat, he’s mobile, he knows when to drop deep and can make great runs behind the opponent’s back-line.
But it would be asking a lot from Foden to do this in a World Cup match. This would be a total wildcard for England.
But it would take a lot from the youngster to play this role in a World Cup match
Raheem Sterling could be in a more central position with City team-mate Foden on the right
When Kane failed to start the 3-0 win over the Ivory Coast in March, Raheem Sterling stepped in as captain, taking central positions close to Watkins, assisting one and scoring the other. Like Foden, he has acted as a false nine for Manchester City in the past, so it wouldn’t be completely foreign to him.
Sterling’s Chelsea form hasn’t been the best, but he had a strong game against Iran and should start against the US. If used as a false nine, amazing as that decision would be, Foden could fill the gap on the left flank.
But I can’t shake the feeling that Wilson would feel undervalued if he saw these three fronts when he’s at this World Cup to be Kane’s plan B.