Injuries offer Kane chance of first England start

Roy Hodgson looks set to give Harry Kane his first England start on Wednesday after confirming he will likely be without the trio of Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling.

The Tottenham striker came off the bench to score within 79 seconds of his international debut in Friday’s 4-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Lithuania, with Hodgson’s side now turning their attentions to Tuesday’s friendly against Italy in Turin.

While Hodgson stopped short of confirming that the in-form Tottenham striker would feature from the start against Antonio Conte’s men, the England boss acknowledged he was short on options.

“We’ll see, obviously his chances get bigger all the time we’re losing all these players,” Hodgson explained.

“There’s no Welbeck possibly, there’s certainly no Sturridge, there’s certainly no Sterling.

“I haven’t got front players coming out of a hat so he’s one of the ones who is there and is available, but we’ll wait and see.”

On Sterling, Hodgson also confirmed that the forward is due to have an injection on a troublesome toe injury.

Hodgson, who was at the centre of a club-versus-country dispute over the fitness of fellow Liverpool team-mate Sturridge last year, stated there is no need for Sterling to play through the pain barrier against Italy. 

“I think it’s his toe, he’s been playing through a situation and getting himself ready to get out on the field of play,” he added.

“He’s done it again [on Friday], which is terrific, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he doesn’t need to continue those shows of bravery.

“It’s very important for us and for Liverpool that he gets it put right. They think this injection will help him get through the rest of the season.”