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Harry Kane will miss England’s game against Wales on Thursday but Thomas Tuchel is “convinced” that he will be able to face Latvia on Tuesday.
The England captain has not been able to train this week after arriving with an injury sustained in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday.
“Harry will miss the game,” head coach Tuchel said in his pre-match press conference at Wembley on Wednesday night. “He got a kick in his last match with Bayern Munich. It’s too painful to kick a ball, too risky that he gets another kick and will be in an up-and-down situation pain-wise.”
Tuchel is confident that England’s record goalscorer will be back for the trip to Riga next week, where England can move closer to sealing qualification for next summer’s World Cup.
“We gave him the chance that everything calms down,” Tuchel said. “We are convinced he will be ready for the match against Latvia.”
Tuchel revealed that the England captain against Wales will be one of Jordan Henderson, John Stones or Declan Rice.
“They have an attitude towards training, towards what it takes to be a team player, of the highest, highest standards,” Tuchel said of the three players. “If these guys are in camp, their level is the highest level.”
The head coach emphasised the necessity of such team cohesion ahead of the 2026 World Cup, viewing it as more important to the team’s chances as individual talent.
“We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven’t won it for decades,” he explained. “And we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team, or we will have no chance.
“We don’t collect the most talented players, we collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team.”
Kane was substituted in the 85th minute of Bayern’s win over Frankfurt after receiving medical attention following a collision with opposition goalkeeper Kaua Santos. He was later seen with a bandage around his right foot but played down the severity of the issue at full time.
Oct 9, 2025
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