Harry Kane links up with England squad despite ankle injury

The former Tottenham Hotspur man moved onto a record-breaking 31 goals from 26 Bundesliga matches on Saturday afternoon, netting the champions' second strike in a 5-2 victory.

However, Kane's outing ended prematurely as he was brought off in the 82nd minute for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, having appeared to damage his ankle when he collided with the post.

Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel was none the wiser about the severity of Kane's issue after the game, but he was keeping his fingers crossed that the England captain had not suffered a big issue.

"He twisted his ankle in the goal netting. He's been applying ice to it since. We don't have any news yet. We'll have to wait and see and hope that it's nothing major," Tuchel told the media.

Now, Bayern have confirmed that Kane will link up with his national team for the upcoming international break, as the Three Lions prepare to tackle Brazil and Belgium in a pair of friendly matches.

However, the striker is currently under the care of the Three Lions medical team, and it remains unclear whether he will be fit enough to participate in either of his nation's games this month.

"Harry Kane suffered a left ankle injury during FC Bayern's 5-2 win in Darmstadt. The striker nevertheless travelled to the English national team and is being treated by the team doctors there - in close consultation with the FC Bayern medical department," Bayern said in a statement.

Before his enforced withdrawal, the 30-year-old set a new record for the most goals in a debut Bundesliga season with his 31st strike of the campaign on Saturday, which also marked his best top-flight scoring season to date.

Kane has now amassed a magnificent total of 37 goals and 12 assists in his first 35 matches for Tuchel's side across all competitions, netting another six strikes in eight Champions League games to help Bayern reach the quarter-finals.

The German champions will square off with Arsenal in the last eight of Europe's elite tournament next month, and Bayern fans will be waiting anxiously to learn whether Kane's injury will affect his availability for their Gunners double-header.

Tuchel's side are already set to cede their Bundesliga crown to Bayer Leverkusen, who boast a seven-point advantage at the top of the table with a game in hand and can re-establish their 10-point lead by beating Freiburg on Sunday.

Worryingly for England and Bayern, Kane has a lengthy history of ankle injuries, suffering eight such problems since the start of the 2016-17 season, the most recent of which came at the 2022 World Cup.

The Three Lions' all-time leading goalscorer hurt himself in England's group-stage opener with Iran, but his issue was not a severe one, and he made a rapid recovery in time to play all of his nation's games at the tournament.

Gareth Southgate's men host Brazil at Wembley in their first fixture of 2024 on March 23, three days before another exhibition showdown with Belgium in the English capital.