England head into their World Cup 2018 qualifier with Scotland on Friday night with a lack of in-form forward options. Tottenham’s Harry Kane is expected to start up front for the Three Lions, but the striker has played just 73 minutes since his return from injury.
Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has played as a striker previously for his club and is the top scorer in the current England squad this season with eight goals. Walcott is unlikely to start up front, though, as his pace is more likely to be utilised on the wing.
Manchester United pair Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford have either been out of the team, or in Rashford’s case played out of position by United boss Jose Mourinho. The pair are unlikely to be at their best. England captain Rooney has scored just once in his previous 16 games for United and England.
Leicester’s Jamie Vardy has not looked as sharp as last season for the Foxes, who have struggled to regain the form of last season. Then there is Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge. The former Chelsea star is out of favour at Anfield with boss Jurgen Klopp and has failed to score in his eight Premier League appearances for the Reds this season.
Interim England boss Gareth Southgate does have a conundrum ahead of the meeting with England’s old enemy. The game is a vital one for the Three Lions, who were supposedly the red hot favourites to win their qualification group.
England are currently top of the group. However, a Scotland win at Wembley would move the Tartan Army level on points with their bitter rivals. Southgate is still only the interim boss and surely he would not be handed the reigns on a permanent basis if his team were beaten by Scotland.
The temporary England boss cannot afford to get his starting line-up wrong against the noisy neighbours. However, in truth, his forward options are not great heading into the big clash.