Gareth Southgate has revealed Harry Kane will play no part in England’s friendly clash with Switzerland on Tuesday night so that his long-term fitness isn’t affected by playing too many games.
Kane has played 63 games for Tottenham and England since the beginning of last season. And while his goalscoring form has been impressive – the striker scored 41 goals for Spurs last term and won the World Cup Golden Boot – his performances have been below par in recent months.
With that in mind, Three Lions boss Southgate has decided to give Kane a rest against Switzerland with a view to future matches for club and country.
“Harry falls in the category in which we have several players where we have to watch how much they play,” Southgate said (via Football365).
“It was a short break with no pre-season and everybody was back earlier than I am sure everybody would have expected for club matches, although that is entirely understandable.
“We talked a bit after the World Cup about the demands of the modern player. Everybody has got to play a part in that but the clubs own the player and they have got to do the right thing for themselves.
“Normally we have not got opposing objectives and the clubs would be holding their breath and hiding behind their sofas watching our teams go out.
“But this is one of those occasions where what we want to look at with our squad ties in with doing the right thing with the players for our long-term benefit. So I thought this is a good opportunity to do it.”
Kane played the full 90 minutes in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League defeat to Spain. Kieran Trippier and Dele Alli also started, while Eric Dier and Danny Rose were used from the bench.
Alli also won’t feature against Switzerland after suffering a minor muscle strain over the weekend, although Southgate believes the 22-year-old will be fit again for Spurs’ Premier League meeting with Liverpool on Saturday.
