Southgate: England captain Harry Kane fit to feature against United States

harry-kane

Having suffered an ankle knock against Iran in England’s World Cup opener, Harry Kane will be fit to figure against the United States.

Harry Kane will be fit to feature in England’s next World Cup match against the United States on Friday, says manager Gareth Southgate.

The Three Lions captain injured his ankle in the second half of their opening 6-2 win against Iran in Group B and was replaced by Callum Wilson.

Kane underwent scans on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury, but concerns appear to have subsided after goalkeeper Jordan Pickford confirmed he had been training with the rest of the squad.

Now Southgate has said his captain will line up against the Stars and Stripes at Al Khor for their second match at Qatar 2022.

“Harry is fine. He’s been working a bit apart from the group but all the best for Friday night,” he told BBC Sport. “He had a scan [on Wednesday] to make sure everything was OK.

Southgate also confirmed that Harry Maguire is ready to feature after being withdrawn midway through the second half on Monday, adding: “He felt bad and it affected his vision.

“At that point you’re worried about a concussion, but we’ve gone through all the footage and there’s nothing there, so he’s in a good area.

England qualify for the knockout stages with a win over the United States, regardless of the result between Iran and Wales elsewhere in Group B.

Southgate wants to see his side through to the last 16 sooner rather than later, adding: “We’d like to finish qualifying as soon as possible.

“The first goal is to get out of the group. We would like to do that on Friday, but the game will be nothing like Monday.”

“We’ve got to make sure we’re back to where we were psychologically at the beginning because states are going to be an athletic team, they’re going to press really well, they’re going to be organized [and] well coached.

“They have quite a few players that we know from the Premier League. Monday was a great start and it’s a reset to be ready for Friday.”

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