Lee Carsley prioritizes Nations League promotion as Harry Kane walks back criticism on withdrawals

England assistant manager Lee Carsley has said that promotion to the Nations League A is the priority, after Harry Kane's comments on player welfare

Kane had said that he understood why players were withdrawing from international squads, due to the number of games they are playing.

Assistant manager Carsley said that he could understand Kane's point of view, but that England had to focus on the upcoming Nations League games.

England are currently top of their Nations League group, and a win against Italy on Saturday would see them promoted to League A.

However, England will be without a number of key players for the game, including Harry Maguire, Jordan Henderson, and Kalvin Phillips.

Despite this, Carsley said that he was confident that England had a strong squad and could get the win they needed.

The Nations League is a relatively new competition, having only been introduced in 2018.

However, it has quickly become an important part of the international football calendar, and promotion to League A would be a significant achievement for England.

England have never been promoted to League A before, and they will be hoping to make history when they face Italy on Saturday.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:45pm BST at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton.