Southgate’s out of luck with top trio

ENGLAND should line up in the World Cup in Russia with Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford either side of Harry Kane. So manager Gareth Southgate will be cursing his luck if the Tottenham striker is ruled out of friendlies against Holland and Italy later this month. Rashford has played very few minutes since Christmas, Sterling has been sidelined for a month and now Kane could be joining him in the treatment room. It means England will have to wait until the warm-up matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica in June to test this trio, who will be under pressure to click quickly. The only benefit, as long as there is no serious damage to Kane’s ankle, is that he would get the chance to recharge his batteries. Kane went into Euro 2016 having been ever-present for Tottenham and drained from the disappointment of missing out on the title to Leicester. He was unrecognisable in an England shirt. A rest now would give him more in the tank for the World Cup.