Lee Carsley has insisted that he “definitely didn’t drop” Harry Kane, and reiterated that England’s captain will return to the starting line-up against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday. Carsley made the brave decision to play Ollie Watkins ahead of Kane for Thursday night’s 3-0 win in Greece,

England interim head coach Lee Carsley has attempted to play down Harry Kane 's criticism of the squad's long list of absentees for this month's internationals, repeatedly insisting that he is only focused on the players who have reported for duty.

England interim manager Lee Carsley says his decision to drop captain Harry Kane was “no slight” on the striker after their Nations League victory over Greece.