Southgate: England must 'get Kane right' for Euro 2024

Gareth Southgate will use England's clash with Iceland on Friday as a chance to "get Harry Kane right" for Euro 2024, potentially meaning fewer minutes for Ivan Toney.

Kane saw his first season with Bayern Munich ended early by a back injury, missing their last two Bundesliga matches as he finished with 44 goals across all competitions in 2023-24.

He came off the bench to score as England beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 in the first of two warm-up matches on Monday and is expected to start at Wembley on Friday.

That may be bad news for Brentford striker Toney, who could be at risk of being omitted when Southgate cuts his 33-man preliminary squad to 26 players on Saturday.

"Toney will be involved in the game on Friday but I have got to get Harry Kane right," Southgate said.

"Sometimes the priorities of what's required and what you would like to see as well, you can't achieve all of those objectives. Simple as that."

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— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 4, 2024

Toney scored four goals in his first five Premier League matches after returning from a nine-month ban in January, but he ended the campaign on a 12-game goal drought – his longest ever in the competition.

Kane, meanwhile, will be key to England's hopes of ending their 58-year wait for silverware in Germany.

He has scored 12 goals at the last three major international tournaments (2018 World Cup, Euro 2020 and 2022 World Cup), with Kylian Mbappe the only other European player to match that tally.

Kane was also involved in 10 goals during Euro 2024 qualifying (eight goals, two assists), scoring or assisting on all seven of his starts.

While Kane should be in peak condition by the time England kick off their Group C campaign against Serbia on June 16, doubts persist over the availability of left-back Luke Shaw.

With no other natural left-backs making Southgate's squad, Kieran Trippier could shift across to that side for the Three Lions' opening game, and the Newcastle United man is ready to go after suffering injuries of his own in the closing stages of 2023-24.

"I'm fit. If I pick the team, then obviously I put myself in it," Trippier said.

"That's up to Gareth, but whether I play or I don't play, I'll be ready. I felt really fit. I'm feeling good, I'm feeling fresh."

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— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) June 4, 2024