Mumbai, October 10: Harry Kane will not be fit to start England's Nations League match against Greece at Wembley on Thursday and John Stones will captain the side for the first time, interim manager Lee Carsley said. Kane was forced off the pitch when he clashed with an Eintracht Frankfurt player and collapsed to the ground grimacing in pain in Bayern Munich's 3-3 draw in their last Bundesliga fixture on Sunday. UEFA Nations League 2024–25: Nico Williams Withdraws From Spain National Football Team Due to Injury; Sergio Gomez Named Replacement.

However, Kane, who has been training separately since arriving at the England camp, has been passed fit to remain with England squad Nations League games but Carsley is not willing to risk his striker.

"Harry is nursing an injury, a small knock. He won't start. It's something we won't take a chance with," Carsely told reporters.

He also said Manchester City defender John Stones would captain the side at Wembley. "I was able to have a great conversation with John to ask him to captain the team. It's a brilliant achievement for John, the experience he's got, the professionalism he shows, the example he is. It was a great conversation to have," he added.

Elated Stones expressed his excitement about wearing the captain's armband for the first time and said, "It's everything I could have dreamed of as a kid. It's more for my family, I think, to be able to see me walk out as England captain is a special moment and one that I can't think Lee enough for. Cole Palmer Wins England Men's Player of the Year Award for 2023-24 Season, Chelsea star Goes past Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham to Clinch Individual Honour.

"It was a great conversation and one I was a bit speechless in. It's an incredible moment for me. Everything resumes as normal now and our focus is the same but to be walking out with the armband is an honour," Stones said.

Carsley also said Jack Grealish "picked up a slight knock" on Tuesday's training session. Moreover, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo were ruled out on Tuesday, with Curtis Jones and Tino Livramento called up to replace them.

"We will assess Jack later. We wouldn’t gamble with any of the players," Carsely said. "Jack went down with a knock and with Harry uncertain as well we decided to bring two more players in. They can play a lot of positions because of their versatility."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 10, 2024 12:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).