Football

World Cup 2022: Gareth Southgate Confirms England Star Fit to Face USA

World Cup 2022: Gareth Southgate Confirms England Star Fit to Face USA

England manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed that captain Harry Kane will be available for the World Cup game against United States on Friday. The Tottenham forward appeared to suffer an ankle injury in the 6-2 win over Iran. He was taken off in the 76th minute with what appeared to be quite a serious problem. It would have been devastating news for England, who have had a crucial head start with a win over Iran. The Three Lions have also been boosted by Wales and USA playing out a draw in their opening game.

Harry Kane 2
Kane will hoping for good news from his scan

Positives for England

There are plenty of positives from the opening match, as the likes of Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, and Jude Bellingham were able to come up with impressive performances. Even substitutes Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford were able to get themselves on the scoresheet.

Despite scoring six against Iran, England did not witness Harry Kane getting on the score sheet but he did grab assists. However, Kane continues to be very close to breaking Wayne Rooney’s record of getting 53 goals for the national team. The Tottenham forward is only two behind Rooney after hitting 51 goals in his 76 games for the national team.

Southgate will be aware that the United States pose a much bigger threat than Iran. USA have players who ply their trade in the Premier League – including Christian Pulisic – and their first-half performance against Wales was especially impressive.

Other Injury Updates

After conceding two goals in the opening game, the priority for England will be to shore up the defence from silly mistakes. The weakened defence does not need to sweat on the fitness of Harry Maguire, who had also appeared to pick up an injury in the opener against Iran. Southgate has confirmed that Maguire is very likely to be available for the game. Another positive for the Three Lions will be the availability of Kyle Walker, who is back in training after coming back from a groin surgery.

England, though, may not be without James Maddison and Callum Wilson. Both players did not train ahead of the match and they are seen as a big doubt. Given the form of the current names, England are unlikely to worried too much with their absence.

England are close to achieving qualification to the last 16 stage and they will be able to achieve this feat by getting a victory over USA. Southgate remains intent on qualifying from the group before going on to win the group, which had all the signs of being a tricky path to the final.

England do have a very good record against USA after managing to pick up a victory in eight out of the 11 games in all competitions. Furthermore, England have been able to average close to 4 goals per game in these matches after hitting 39 goals. All these promise a lot of goals in England’s second group match and Harry Kane now has a strong chance of featuring on the scoresheet for the first time in the 2022 World Cup.


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