ENGLAND captain Harry Kane is set to have a scan on his right ankle before Friday’s World Cup match against the United States.
The 29-year-old provided two assists in the Three Lions’ 6-2 win against Iran as they opened the tournament with a bang on Monday at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Kane had England fans’ hearts in mouths early in the second half when he went down gripping his right foot in pain after being caught by a poor Morteza Pouraliganji challenge.
The skipper managed to play on until the 75th minute but was seen leaving the ground with a slight limp and his right ankle lightly strapped.
The Football Association remained tight-lipped about Kane’s fitness the following day but it is understood the striker is to undergo a scan before Friday’s clash with the USA.
England manager Gareth Southgate had downplayed concerns over his fitness in the press conference immediately following the Iran game.
“I think Harry’s fine,” the manager said of the 2018 Golden Boot winner.
“I mean, it obviously looked a bad tackle but he carried on in the game and we took him off, really, because we felt it was a moment we could do that.”
Southgate was understandably delighted with England's winning start against Iran, but he concedes his side must reach “other levels” if they are to succeed in Qatar.
“By the end we looked sloppy but just before the end we were pretty good,” Southgate said.
“I’ve said to them I’ve got to try and balance how I feel because we’ve played so well and we’ve dominated the game, and there were so many good performances.
“And equally we can’t be conceding two goals in the manner that we did, so we will really have to reset.
“I understood that the game went on – I think we had 25 minutes of injury time across the course of the game – so I can understand why the focus might drift.
“But we’re going to have to be so on it against the States. Yeah, it is a good start but we’ve got other levels we need to get to.”
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