England hit by triple injury scare as Lee Carsley faces Nations League headache

Lee Carsley is preparing for his third and fourth games in command of England on an interim basis, but he may be forced to reshuffle his squad following injuries to Harry Kane and two teammates.

England captain Harry Kane is one of three injury concerns for interim manager Lee Carsley ahead of this week’s Nations League double match.

Kane, 31, was pulled off in the second half of Bayern Munich’s 3-3 tie with Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday. The former Tottenham striker sustained a hit to his right thigh and required treatment before being substituted after 72 minutes.

Kane’s injury came after two additional worries for Carsley in the Premier League’s 2pm kickoffs. Firstly, Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa hobbled off early in their 0-0 draw at home to Manchester United after seeming to suffer a hamstring injury.

Shortly later, midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White appeared to have injured his ankle or lower leg during Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 tie with Chelsea. The trio are now doubtful for Thursday’s match against Greece at Wembley Stadium. England will then face Finland in Helsinki on Sunday, Carsley’s fourth game in charge.

Kane scored both goals in England’s 2-0 win over Finland last month before going on to record two hat-tricks for Bayern. After the game in Frankfurt, Bayern manager Vincent Kompany was asked to offer an update on Kane and responded, “It’s too early to say what’s wrong with him.” “We hope it isn’t too bad.”

When questioned about Konsa’s injury, Villa manager Unai Emery responded similarly, saying: “I don’t know, hopefully it’s not too severe. Hopefully, he can relax during the international break. We may take several days off [during the international break] to regain our energies and attempt to press on in the coming month.”

Carsley is particularly concerned about defence, as he has only called up four centre-backs. Levi Colwill was substituted late for Chelsea, but it is expected that he will be able to report to St George’s Park with the rest of the England team on Monday.

With Konsa out, Jarrad Branthwaite might be called up, however the Everton centre-back missed Saturday’s game against Newcastle due to injury and has only featured once this season. Harry Maguire was also left out of Carsley’s 25-man squad, although he suffered a leg injury for United at Villa Park, limping out shortly before halftime.

Nuno Espirito Santo stated that Forest are ‘worried’ about Gibbs-White, who made his debut under Carsley in September. “Hopefully it’s nothing and he can join the England squad. But he’ll undergo a scan tomorrow (Monday),” Nuno explained.

“It’s critical that it’s nothing catastrophic and that he can participate in and play. But we also need him. Hopefully it’s not too serious.”