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 boss Lee Carsley has backed Harry Kane to respond to being dropped against Greece by confirming he will start in Sunday's UEFA Nations League clash against Republic of Ireland at Wembley.

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.