England have been dealt a fresh blow to their attacking plans, with Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins forced to withdraw from Thomas Tuchel’s squad after suffering a freak injury. The Three Lions were without all-time leading goal-scorer Harry Kane for a friendly date with Wales, as he nurses a knock of his own, with a selection headache being posed ahead of a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Latvia.
Will Kane be fit? England set to face Latvia
The hope is that national team captain Kane, who has 74 international goals to his name, will be ready to step back into the fold on Tuesday. The Bayern Munich frontman suffered a blow to his foot in his last domestic outing before heading away with his country.
Tuchel said when drawing up plans for a clash with Wales at Wembley, with no unnecessary risks being taken in a contest that had little more than local pride riding on it: “Harry will miss the game. He got a kick in his last match with Bayern Munich. It was too painful to kick a ball, it was too risky that he gets another kick and will just like be in an up and down situation pain-wise, so we gave him the chance that everything calms down. We are convinced that he will be ready for the match against Latvia.”
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWatkins withdraws from England squad after post collision
England now need that to be the case as they have been left short on No.9 options. Watkins lead the line against Wales, netting his sixth senior international goal in a 3-0 win, but had to be replaced shortly before half-time after suffering a heavy collision with the post. He had been sliding in looking for his second strike of the game.
Tuchel told reporters after the match when asked for an update on Watkins’ condition, with his leg hammering into the upright: “He's OK. It was a clear goal normally for him, but unfortunately, he saw the ball too late and couldn't score and crashed into the post. It was very, very painful, but as I understand it now, it's only painful, so no harm done.”
Some harm would appear to have been done, with a statement on England’s reading: “Ollie Watkins has been ruled out of England’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Latvia. The Aston Villa striker has not recovered from the knock sustained against Wales at Wembley on Thursday evening and has returned to his club. A squad of 22 will travel to Riga.”
Options to lead the line for England
Barcelona loanee Marcus Rashford replaced Watkins against Wales, with the Manchester United-owned forward one possible option to operate through the middle in Latvia. He is, however, more at home on the left wing and slotted into that position versus the Welsh.
Newcastle’s versatile forward Antony Gordon was moved down the middle, with his pace providing plenty of threat there. West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen is another wide option that could be shifted inside, having filled that role at times for the Hammers.
England are also without former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah, with the FA having said in a previous statement regarding his availability: “Jarell Quansah will miss England’s forthcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Latvia through injury. The Bayer Leverkusen defender returned to his club as a precaution following Thursday’s 3-0 victory over Wales. No further squad additions are planned at this moment in time.”
AFPWorld Cup qualification: What England need
Tuchel has enough defensive options at his disposal to cope with that loss, with there no need to draft anybody else into the squad late on. England will believe that they have more than enough in the tank to see off Latvia.
Victory will see the Three Lions book their tickets to next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. They have been faultless through their Group K campaign so far, picking up 15 points from five games and ensuring that they are yet to concede a goal. They saw off Latvia at Wembley back in March, with Kane, Reece James and Eberechi Eze on target in a comfortable 3-0 win.
