Thomas Tuchel may be able to welcome back one of his injured England stars for the upcoming World Cup last 16 tie against Mexico.
The Three Lions booked their place in the next round after staging a late rescue act against DR Congo last night.
An ignominious exit looked to be on the cards when England trailed to Brian Kibambe Cipenga’s shock early goal with a quarter of an hour left on the clock.
With time running out, it was Harry Kane who once again stepped up to the plate and enhanced his hopes of a second World Cup Golden Boot with a superb brace to break the hearts of England’s opponents.
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England might have flattered to deceive once again, but the inability to pick a settled starting XI on account of a number of fitness concerns has undoubtedly hampered Tuchel.
Bukayo Saka has been nursed throughout the tournament and started just one of his side’s four matches so far while his Arsenal teammate, Declan Rice, was rested against Panama and was seen clutching an ice pack to his hamstring after he was taken during the closing stages last night.
Reece James, too, succumbed to a hamstring strain he picked up in the second group stage game against Ghana and hasn’t featured since.
It had been hoped that the Chelsea stalwart would be back in time to feature in a potential quarter final, but the right-back gave a more upbeat assessment last night.
Asked about his injury by the Athletic’s David Ornstein as he walked through the mixed zone last night, James said: ‘It’s ok; I’m feeling good.’
A potential return earlier than expected for James would certainly represent a welcome boost for Tuchel who has now used five different right-backs in four games.
Djed Spence has struggled to convince in that role and was again barracked by his manager having been seen twice already being on the receiving end of his manager’s ire.
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Jarell Quansah started against Panama but failed to stake a convincing claim, while Rice and John Stones both featured in an unfamiliar position during the closing stages against DR Congo.
Where there is Kane, however, there is hope and teammate Anthony Gordon was full of praise for England’s prolific skipper following his latest heroics.
‘You know what? As soon as he hit (the second goal), I knew it was going in,’ Gordon said. ‘I was already celebrating.
‘It’s more the consistency that he surprised me with. Anyone can score a good goal, anyone at this level can put the ball in the top corner.
‘This is the consistency that he does it. Every day in training. Every game. He is phenomenal. He plays at such a high, high level.
‘It’s amazing to be around him every day, because when you’re around someone at the elite level – he’s at the very, very top of football, he’s having a season that’s only ever been beaten by Lionel Messi, the greatest footballer of all time. So that speaks to the level he’s playing at.
‘When you’re around someone like that, you want to pick up as many habits and watch everything he does to see why he’s at that level.
‘It’s no accident, like I said, there’s consistency every day, how hard he works, every finishing drill.
‘He does it with passion, he does it with seriousness. He never ever messes about. So it’s amazing to be around him. He’s definitely an inspiration to all of us.’