Marcus Rashford’s form for Manchester United has been improving (Picture: Danehouse/Getty Images)
England without Harry Kane is like having roast beef for Sunday lunch without any horseradish. It’s still very tasty and better than most alternative weekend feasts but it doesn’t quite cut the mustard.
When Bukayo Saka is missing from the Three Lions line-up as well it’s akin to someone taking the last Yorkshire pudding . Things definitely aren’t working out the way you expected first thing in the morning.
England lacked a cutting edge in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Brazil and Wembley and with Kane now back at Bayern Munich as he seeks to recover from an ankle injury in time to face his old nemesis Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals, Gareth Southgate is set to give Ivan Toney the chance to show what he can do when leading the attack.
It will be a good test for Toney – and Ollie Watkins if he gets more game time – as Belgium may have moved on from Toby Alderweireld while Jan Vertonghen is 36, but they remain a team which concedes few goals.
England will also be without Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire after they picked up injuries against Brazil and that will allow others to step up to the plate.
It is Kane’s absence which is the most painful, however, as England’s captain is one of the best strikers in the world with a record 62 goals for his country and bundles more for both Tottenham and Bayern.
Harry Kane was forced to watch England’s defeat against Brazil from the Wembley sidelines (Picture: Getty Images)
After reaching the World Cup semi-final in 2018, the Euro 2020 final and the last eight at the World Cup two years ago, the target in Germany must be to lift the trophy at the end of what is going to be a compelling European Championship.
It’s important not to get carried away by defeats in friendlies – England is one of the few countries where losing a non-competitive match is greeted with extensive wailing and gnashing of teeth – but at the same time there have to be seeds of encouragement and growth from these fixtures.
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